Just Like A Dream
by L0VEisREALx3
Summary: sequel to MBWP. Miley and Nick embark on their joint tour with Demi, but they might just be embarking on the rest of their lives.
1. Chapter 1

**Here it goes... Starts off first night of the tour**

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**First nights of tours are always hectic. There's the nerves as you hear the thousands of people coming in while you try to remember everything you're supposed to do. You're running through set lists in your mind, trying to remember all your cues, and also trying to get over the fact that your girlfriend is sitting on the couch in your dressing room looking completely calm while she flips through a magazine.

Oh wait, that last one's just me.

Seriously I don't know how she's doing it. She's the opening act and it's her first arena concert as Miley and yet she's flipping through Vogue while humming one of her songs. Her legs are curled up to the side and her stage outfit is covered by a white robe. Her hair is straightened perfectly and her make up is smokey and sultry.

I, on the other hand, am pacing and checking the time every two seconds. Then I go check the mirror to make sure I haven't spilled anything or that my clothes aren't bunching awkwardly.

"Could you just sit down and relax?" Miley asks putting down her magazine and taking a sip of water.

"Relax??" I say nervously and continue pacing, "I go on in less than 2 hours. You go on in 30 minutes. How are you so calm?"

"Nick, we've rehearsed this dozens of times," she says, "Come sit here." She spreads her legs and and pats the space on the couch in between.

I sigh, but come over and sit down. Her hands slide up my back to my shoulders and begin massaging them. I close my eyes and let her capable hands work the stress out of my upper back.

"Now what are you worried about?" Miley asks, still rubbing my shoulders.

"Messing up. Missing my cues. Forgetting the words. Looking like an idiot," I list.

"Mmhm," she says, "have you ever messed up?"

"Yes, there was this one time-"

"And you survived?" she cuts me off. I sigh again. She's right. It's not the end of the world if I make a mistake. I'll move on. It's incredible how she can relax me in just a few words.

"You're right," I tell her and her thumbs dig deep between my shoulder blades, "Ah, that feels good."

"I took a massage class in college," Miley explains and continues to work on me. She's amazing. After a great massage she reaches her hands forward and pulls me close to her, my back against her front.

She nuzzles her soft face against my neck.

"I love you," she murmurs, placing a kiss on my neck. I turn around and peck her lips gently.

"I love you too," I tell her and then turn around and get off the couch so I'm on my knees in front of her. She closes her legs and slides her hands into my hair.

"You okay now?" she asks, looking straight into my eyes so I can't lie. But I don't have to.

"Yeah, thanks to you."

"Good," she leans in and kisses me again and I cup her face in my hands.

"Are you ready?" I ask her.

"I was born ready," she jokes, but I can see right through her faux-cockiness.

"You don't have to hide it from me, Mi."

"I know, but I just think it's pointless to dwell on what might go wrong. I've done all I can. I just need to get out there," she explains with a smile. And there's one of the many reasons I love her. She's so full of life and happiness.

"You're so amazing," I tell her, "I can't wait to see you perform..."

"Wait. What?" Miley asks, sitting up straight. See, Miley hasn't let me watch her perform. At rehearsals, she makes me leave before she'll start. It's completely ridiculous, if she can perform in front of strangers, why not in front of me?

But I've outsmarted her. I made sure I had time to sneak into the audience to watch her. And it will be even better seeing her in front of all her fans.

"I'm going to watch you perform," I say and she crosses her arms, "You can't avoid me forever."

"Fine," she sighs, "I know I can't stop you now."

"Ten minutes till you're needed to get wired," I announce, looking at my watch.

"You want a preview?" Miley asks, standing up and stretching, raising his arms over her head. The action makes her robe rise up and reveal more skin. Oh my, God. What is she wearing? You guessed it. Miley hasn't let me see her tour outfit either. All I know is that I'm "going to die," according to Demi.

Miley unties the robe and slips it off and then gives a little shake and bends one knee throwing her hands up in the air in an exaggerated pose.

"Oh wow," I breath out. She has a pair of tight black shorts on and black top that exposes most of her back and dips pretty low in the front too. On her feet she has boots that reach mid calf and have at least three inch heels. She's also covered in accessories: belts, necklaces, bracelets.

"You like?" she asks with a smirk, putting her hands down.

"Yeah," I say checking her out again. It's amazing how she manages to have so much skin showing and yet still cover up all the necessary parts. She truly has it down to an art. And trust me, I don't mind. I'm about to approach her when there's a sudden knock on the door.

I look at Miley questioningly, but she just shrugs. I go over to the door and open it. Miley starts giggling and I stifle a laugh as well. Behind the door is a ginormous flower arrangement with two skinny jean clad legs coming out from the bottom.

"Your brother is ridiculous!" Demi cries, coming in and dropping the arrangement on my table.

"Aw, I think it's cute," Miley says, going over to it and taking out the card to read it, "'Good luck tonight, superstar. Break a leg. Love, Joe' that's so sweet."

"It's so ridiculous!" Demi moans, "This is NOT taking it slow."

"Dem, it's been like 3 months," Miley says going over and putting an arm around her friend, "You've forgiven me, why can't you forgive Joe?"

"Because you just have a big mouth, you didn't judge me and assume I was some kind of whore," Demi says bitterly.

Then there's another knock on the door even though it's still open.

"Miss Stewart?" a small mousy girl who looks a little younger than us says, "You're needed on deck to get hooked up for you earpieces."

"Oh!" Miley says excitedly, "Time to do my thing," she jokes.

"Ohmigod," Demi says clasping a hand over her mouth, "I'm such a bad friend. I'm sorry. This is your first big concert and here I am blabbing on about my personal problems."

Demi doesn't know Miley used to be Hannah. No one knows except for me and honestly, I like it that way. It's like this special thing between me and her.

"It's fine," Miley waves a hand in the air, "I'm ready for it."

Demi looks at me and I shrug.

"Well, good luck," Demi gives her a huge hug, "Warm them up for me," she winks.

"Will do," Miley says and then walk out the door following the girl who came to get her.

"How is she so calm??" Demi asks when she's gone, "I was like hyperventilating before my first arena concert!"

"Trust me. I remember," I tell her, remembering her being a crying, shaking mess before she opened for my brothers and I for the first time, "I also remember Joe comforting you," I add with a smirk.

"Shut up!" she says pushing me.

"I know you love my brother so l don't know why you're playing this game," I say switching to a more serious mood.

"Your brother judged me. That's not fair. I have enough people doing that. I need someone who's not going to."

I'm suddenly struck with the similarity between what Demi is saying and Miley and I's first big fight. When I thought she spilled the secret about Joe to the paparazzi on purpose.

"I guess it's a Jonas thing..."

"What? You...? With Miley?" she says in shock. She seems to think that Miley and I have this perfect relationship. Okay, well we kind of do. But even in perfect relationships there are obstacles you have to overcome.

"Yeah, but we got through it, obviously. You will too."

Demi nods solemnly. It's not often that we're serious with each other so there's an awkward pause.

"Shall we go meet Miley to say our prayer before she goes on?" Demi breaks the silence.

"Yeah, let's go. I have to get out to the sound board to watch her so we need to hurry up. I don't want to miss her entrance," I say heading for the door.

"You're so whipped, it's gross. I'm still not used to it," Demi complains following behind me.

"Shut up," I mock her giving her a small push.

"Hey! You can't push a girl!" she protests, shoving me back.

"You can when she's like your sister," I inform her with a smirk.

"I'm just saying it's a little weird that the last time I see you you're this awkward guy who can barely stay with a girl past a first date and then all of the sudden you're in this super serious relationship."

"Well," I say, "Miley's special."

"I know," Demi looks at me with that big genuine smile that she hardly uses anymore, "I'm really happy for you, Nick."

I smile in gratitude and we come across Miley who's getting a sound pack clipped into the back of her pants. Her vocal coach is going over exercises with her and she's laughing and smiling and bouncing around. Finally she's hooked up and she sees Demi and I. Everyone is aware of what's going on as our crew and bands circle up. Miley grabs my hand and Demi's hand and squishes in between us. It's amazing how many people are in our tour family now. The opening night is in Texas so my parents and Frankie are there too. Dad clears his throat and everyone looks at him.

"Let's bow our heads and have a moment of silence," he says. I close my eyes and everything disappears. All I can hear is Miley's steady breathing next to me and her hand wrapped around mine. It's like I can feel the energy radiating off of her and infecting me, making me feel alive.

"Lord, we thank you for giving all the talented artists that are here to perform tonight the opportunity to do what they love. We pray that you'll be there with everyone on stage and allow them to give the best performance possible. Amen."

"Amen," everyone choruses and drops hands, but I hang onto Miley's.

"I have to head up to the stage now,Nick," she says with a smile.

"I'll come with you," I insist and we begin to walk up. She swings our hands between us while the tour choreographer reminds her of all the different things she has to do. Her dancers follow behind us.

I have to leave now if I want to get to the soundboard in time to see her entrance.

"I love you. Good luck," I say giving her a kiss on the lips and leaving before she can react.

"I love you too!" she calls over the noise and I smile. I can't wait to see her perform.

Somehow I manage to make it to the soundboard without anyone noticing. The lights start to dim and everyone screams. I feel like another face in the crowd, excited to see Miley Stewart perform.

Her band takes their place and soft blue lights illuminate the stage. I can't wait to see her. Even from this far away I can feel the energy from the stage.

The music begins to play and I hold my breath waiting for her to come up on the hydraulic lift at the back of the stage.

"_I have to wonder if this wave's too big to ride..._" Miley starts singing before the crowd can see her and when her head pops up over the edge of the stage, I let out a sigh of relief. She holds her microphone at the perfect angle while taking precise steps down the two levels of stairs. The crowd is going crazy. She's radiating the most amazing stage presence right now and I can feel everyone in the audience catching on.

"_Out of the fire and into the fire again, you make me want to forget,_" Miley sings, "_And start all over._" Each word is punctuated with a jerk of the hips and a shake of her head. Her long hair is everywhere, but she makes it work in a rockstar like way. She's absolutely incredible and I can hear the people in the audience agreeing.

"She really knows how to work that stage, doesn't she?" one of the guys, Mike, at the soundboard says as Miley finishes up Start All Over and launches into her next song and my personal favorite, Dream.

"Yeah," is all I can say because I'm mesmerized by the way she moves. Honestly, I don't think I've ever felt as attracted to her as I do in this moment. It's not just about her outfit or the way she dances, but the complete confidence she eludes on stage is a definite turn on.

Since she's only the first opening act, she only has one last song left. I know I need to hightail it back stage, but when the white piano, the same one I'll be using later, rises up on the same lift she came in on I can't move.

"I don't know if y'all knew this," she says into her mic, "But I've been playing the guitar since I was 6," she pauses for the crowd to cheer, "however, I've only started playing the piano recently, so you'll have to bare with me on this one."

The crowd chuckles and Miley climbs the stairs and sits on the piano bench. What...? When did she...? And how didn't I know? Suddenly, her not letting me see her rehearsals all makes sense.

"So," Miley says switching to the mic in front of the piano, "How many of you have someone special in your life?" a cheer arises from the crowd, "I mean anyone, a friend, a parent, a boyfriend or girlfriend. Someone who whenever you're having trouble or a bad day, you can just look at them and know everything is going to be okay?" An even louder cheer comes after that one.

I'm literally holding my breath. I have no idea what's going on and I can't wait for it.

"This song isn't on my album, in fact, I wrote it just a little over a month ago. This is about my someone. They know who they are," she explains and even though I know there's no way she could see me from the stage, it feels like she's looking right at me and my heart starts racing. Her fingers find the right place on the keys and she starts playing a melody that I've never heard before.

Then she opens her mouth and the words are so pure, so sincere that it almost knocks me over, "_Everybody needs inspiration, Everybody needs a song, A beautiful melody When the night's so long..._"

Her eyes close as she plays the piano and sings her heart out while my own heart feels like it's swelling rapidly in my chest.

"_Yeah, when my world is falling apart, When there's no light to break up the dark, That's when I, I, I look at you, When the waves are flooding the shore and I can't find my way home anymore, That's when I, I, I look at you_."

I love her. I love her, I love her, I love her is the only thing running through my mind. My chest is pounding as every word and every chord fills me up and I feel like I'm floating. Miley, my Miley, wrote this song for me. My eyes don't move off of her for a second as she comes to the bridge of the song.

"_You, appear, just like a dream to me just like kaleidoscope colors that cover me all I need, every breath, that I breathe. Don't you know you're beautiful?_"

Once again she looks over in my direction and just stares. And then I realize: she planned this from the beginning. She wanted me to be out here to see her perform this song for the first time. She's so... wow. I can't believe her, but I can't deny I'm happy. Beyond happy. Ecstatic. I need to see her. Now.

She finishes the song and starts saying her goodbyes and I hurry to get back backstage before the lights go off and she gets off stage. I practically sprint and once I get there I'm waiting eagerly for Miley.

"Nick!" a stagehand suddenly calls, "Where have you been? You need to get your earpieces in and tested!"

"Okay, I just have to wait for-"

"No, now," he insists, "We're already behind. Your vocal coach and band are also looking for you."

I look to see if Miley's coming, but all I can hear is the roar of the crowd, so I assume she's still out there. I sigh because I know the guy is right. I never meant to stay out there that long. There's only like 25 minutes between Miley's set and my set and they need to be utilized.

Thankfully, my earpieces are working fine and so are the band's. My vocal coach helps me with some exercises and my band and I go over some last minute details. The time passes quickly before we're being ushered to the stage area. I'm looking for Miley the entire time, but I can't find her. Mom and dad are waiting by the stage for me smiling proudly.

"Have you seen Miley?" I ask my mom giving her a hug.

"She had to go change right away," Mom tells me, "She was amazing out there wasn't she? I mean, I knew she was a good singer, but wow, she's a performer."

I smile, "Yeah, she is."

I'm a little bummed that I won't get to see her before I go on, but I'll get over it. I'll be seeing her soon enough anyway.

"5 minutes!" another stagehand yells over the roar of the crowd. He hands me my green guitar and I put it over my shoulder and get into place on the lift.

"Break a leg!" my mom and dad both call and then look at each other and laugh. My dad wraps and arm around her waist and pulls her close and even though it's kind of gross because they're my parents, it's really cute at the same time. They're still so in love. I hope that will be Miley and I one day.

"5, 4, 3, 2, 1," someone calls through the earpiece and the lift starts rising and I start the opening chords of my first song.

The concert starts off without a problem. It's a little weird to have such a big stage for just me, but if Miley and Demi can do it, I can too. And after the past few months I've gotten closer to my band and we're all feeding off each other's energy.

I get excited as we finish singing Shelf because the next song is my personal favorite. A stagehand hands me an acoustic guitar and takes the electric one. I'm so excited I'm practically trembling. I strikr the strings and then start singing.

"**It's the morning, the white light hits your face, your head upon that pillow, I let you radiate. you spend all day, twisted up in sheets...**" the crowd cheers and I turn around to see Miley descending the stairs wearing a red strapless dress that is tight around her chest then flows out to her just above her knees. Her once straightened hair is now in curls and the top half is pulled back. Her makeup is done more natural than it was previously. She looks... Well, there just aren't words to describe it. She brings her microphone to her mouth and sings the next line with me.

"_**One of those days, one of those moments, you just, make me happy.**_"

The crowd disappears and it's just Miley and I just like it was when we recorded it. I remember hearing her sing it for the first time and how perfect our voices worked together and I remember how the final version even left Kevin speechless. The words she inspires are amazing. It goes by much too fast for me, I want this moment on stage with her to last forever, but before I know it we're both singing the last line, "_**You make me happy...**_"

I want to kiss her. I want to so badly, but I know I can't. People know that we're dating, but still that doesn't mean we need to be kissing in front of thousands of fans. So I settle with half a hug and a kiss on the cheek. She smiles and winks at me before waving to the crowd and leaving the same way she came on. It takes me a few moments to bring myself back to the stage and the fans in front of me. But when I do I signal the band to start the last song. I can't wait to see Miley again.

***

After the concert I race backstage, ignoring the calls of "Nice job!" from everyone. Miley, Miley, Miley is what's running though my brain. Where is she? Her dressing room? My dressing room? Well, mine is closer so I'll check there first.

I burst into the door eagerly and then give a yelp of surprise when I see the person sitting on my couch.

"Joe?" I ask in confusion. I was pretty sure he was still in LA on the set of his new movie. Yeah, that's right. He got a role in a movie. It's not a huge part but it will be good for him to build up his credentials.

"You know, those flowers weren't for you," Joe says with a smirk, nodding to Demi's arrangement that she left on the table.

"I know... Demi brought them in. She was pissed."

"Yeah, yeah. You and I both know she's just pretending to be pissed to prove her point. Eventually she'll give it up."

Hm. Maybe Joe knows more about Demi than I give him credit for. He really does seem to understand her better than anyone else.

"Maybe you should just, you know, apologize," I suggest.

"I have. Hundreds of times. So I figured I could just prove how much I love her instead of just telling her. Which is why I'm surprising her by being here tonight," Joe's eyes shine as he says this and I recognize that look. It's the same look Kevin has and the same look I have when I look in the mirror in the morning. Wow. I mean I knew he liked her, obviously, but now I realize it's deep than that.

"Wow. You're really serious about her."

"Well, duh. I asked her to marry me, didn't I? I wouldn't have done that if I didn't really love her."

"I know, man," I say, laughing to myself because not too much earlier Demi was saying the same thing to me "it's just weird seeing you like this."

Silence envelopes us for a moment and I remember what I came rushing in here for.

"Joe, have you seen Miley?" I ask excitedly.

"She's doing interviews in her dressing room. Poor girl. I thought the reporters were going to pounce on her. I missed her performance, but apparently it was phenomenal."

"It was..." I say dreamily, remembering the way she owned the stage, "Maybe I should go help her..."

"Nope," Joe shakes his head, "I was given direct orders to not let you in there. This is her thing."

I sigh because I know he's right. He gets up off the couch and dusts himself off.

"Now, if you don't mind, I've got to go watch my girl," Joe walks past me to get out the door, "And, um, you might want to go shower before you see yours..." he smirks, closing the door behind him.

I realize that it's true and I am all sweaty from being on stage. Luckily, all the dressing rooms in this venue have private showers. I know I won't be able to see Miley for a while so I might as well maximize my time without her so later I can spend more time with her.

So I walk over to the bathroom and turn on the shower. As I wait for it to heat up, I pull out a pair of basketball shorts and a t-shirt to change into and then take off my stage clothes.

After a long, hot shower I get dressed and then sit down on the couch. But I'm too restless. I need to go do something. Preferably go see Miley. There's a small TV in the corner and I realize that it's playing the feed from the concert. Demi looks like she's killing it. I check the time. Ugh there's still at least another hour of her set left.

I decide to get up and check on Miley. Maybe she's done her interviews. So I slip on some shoes and walk out of the dressing 's pretty quiet down here, but I know if I walk up just a few flights of stairs, I'll hear music and screaming. I head for Miley's dressing room and I don't see anyone on the way there. I come up to the white door with the paper sign that says MILEY STEWART on it. I don't hear any noise coming from inside so I knock gently. No response. Cautiously, I turn the knob and open the door.

But no ones in there. Miley's tour clothes on a hanger with her boots under them. There's an open can of coke on her vanity along with all her beauty supplies. I frown. Where could she be?

Then it hits me. She's watching Demi. Duh. I might have seen Demi enough times to not be excited by it, but Miley hasn't. And they're like best friends now, so of course Miley would be watching her.

I race up the stairs, taking them two at a time, until I get to the backstage area. I see Miley's back and it's like every part of my body relaxes. She's standing between my mom and Joe and every once in a while she moves her hips to the music. It's like she can't help but dance and I smile at her energy.

I come up behind her and wrap my arms around her waist so they rest on her stomach. She jumps for a second before she realizes it's me.

"Where were you?" she yells over the music, turning her neck to look at me.

"Looking for you," I reply and capture her lips with my own. I'm just about to deepen it when she pulls away. Then her eyes shift to the right where my mom is standing. Ugh mom.

"This one's my favorite!" Joe yells suddenly to Miley as another song starts up. She gives him and odd look, but he doesn't notice.

"I think he's said that about every song," Miley giggles and then turns back to the stage. Her hips start rocking again, but this time against me. I let out a small groan against her neck and she stops. "Sorry," she whispers loud enough so just I can hear her.

"I didn't say I didn't like it," I say wrapping my arms around her tighter to bring her closer to me.

"Stop it," she says turning around to playfully smack my chest.

"I can't," I say back, kissing her jaw down to her neck. I feel her body shiver underneath my touch and it's the best feeling knowing that I'm doing this to her. Before I can continue though, she shakes her head and turns back around. I sigh. All I can see in my mind is her on stage which is really not helpful.

After what seems like forever, Demi finishes her last encore and the lights in the arena come on. Demi rushes off stage and Miley hugs her tightly.

"Ohmigosh you were amazing!" Miley cries.

"Thanks! And I saw you out there, missy. You're gonna steal my show," Demi jokes and hugs Miley again.

I tug on Miley's hand as Demi leaves to go talk to other people, "C'mon let's go back to the hotel."

Luckily, our concert tomorrow isn't that far away so we can actually stay in a hotel instead of on the tour bus. Although I have to admit mine and Miley's tour bus is pretty awesome.

"Someone's eager to get out of here," Miley giggles, but allows me to pull her to the back entrance. There's a whole line of black cars waiting to bring people back to the hotel and I pick one, opening the door for Miley and letting her in before sliding in next to her.

The ride is almost silent as we pass through the streets. Fans freak out as they see our car. Even though they can't see inside it's pretty obvious that someone famous must be in it. I mean, who else would have such dark tinted windows? Luckily we manage to make it to the hotel in one piece. Since we left early there's no crowds outside waiting. As much as I love my fans I really just need some Miley and me time.

Miley rummages around in her giant purse for her hotel key (we already checked in a few days before opening night) and I shake my head and pull mine out of my wallet. One of the many differences between us that make us go together perfectly.

I open the door to our room and we both head in. Miley goes straight for the bathroom that's to the left of the door. The room is fairly spacious with a small sitting room like area and a queen sized bed. The curtains are drawn making the room extremely dark. I flip a light switch and then dim them slightly.

I hear water running and then Miley comes out of the bathroom.

"Hi," she whispers softly.

"Hi," I reply with a grin and then take a good look at her. After the concert she changed into colorful sweatpants and a white t-shirt that I'm pretty sure she stole from me. It wouldn't matter if she was wearing a potato sack though because either way I plan on getting her out of it.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asks, touching her hair and blushing. Oh sorry... Is my staring bothering you? Maybe you should stop being so attractive.

Instead of actually answering her though I walk over and bend down, grabbing her waist and throwing her over my shoulder.

"Nick!" she shouts, hitting my back with her fists, "Put me down."

"Shh... It's late, you'll wake up the whole hotel," I laugh as I carry her over to the bed. Using one hand I pull down the comforter.

"Nick!" she hisses, quieter this time. I toss her down onto the bed and then quickly move on top of her, pinning her down.

"Do you know how amazing you were on stage?" I ask her, leaning my face in so it's close to hers. She's breathing heavily after trying to get out of my arms and I can feel her chest rise against mine with every breath.

"And how hot?" I continue, kissing her neck, gently sucking at her sweet spot.

She giggles and strokes my face, "Tell me."

"The way you move is such a turn on," I tell her, still keeping contact with her neck, "And your confidence is so sexy. You're such an incredible performer. All eyes were on you. I wanted to jump up on the stage and take you right there."

She giggles again and it's like music to my ears.

"Nick?" she says softly and I look up at her.

"Yeah, Mi?"

"I love you so much," she whispers, running her fingers through my hair, "I'm so happy we get to do this together."

"I love you too baby," I tell her. She looks so sweet laying back on the pillows, her hair spread out around her. "More than you'll ever know."

Then her hand slides behind my neck and she gently connects our mouths in a soft slow kiss.

I quickly deepen it through by parting her lips with my tongue. My hands slide to her hips as I pull her against me. Our clothes come off quickly and to be honest, I don't really remember how it all happened. But I know that Miley's smooth skin is touching mine and that's all that matters.

One of her legs intertwines with mine, her toes rubbing along my calf, while the other one hitches around my waist, giving me the perfect opportunity. I press into her and her head presses back against the pillows as a small moan escapes though her lips.

Our bodies move together, maximizing the pleasure for both of us. I don't think I'll ever get tired of making love to Miley. Every time it just gets better and better.

I'm caught off guard as she flips us over and straddles me. She tosses her long hair to one side and she looks so sensual it blows my mind. There is no way this girl is mine. It's honestly too good to be true. She's like this crazy, sexy, completely wild girl one second and then the next second she's charming my mom and speaking in business terms.

She rocks her hips against me and I close my eyes, letting her have her turn to be in control.

"You're so hot, Nick," she leans down and whispers in my ear, "Especially when you're on stage playing that guitar. I just want to jump you."

I groan at her confession. Her voice is hoarse and sexy and I can't resist flipping her over so I'm on top again.

"I. Love. You." I say in between thrusts and she jerks her hips up to meet mine. We both pick up the pace as we come to the end.

"Nick," she cries, digging her nails into my back and I know she's gone. I continue to press into her until I'm done too and then I roll off of her and lay on my back.

When we finally catch our breath again we both turn at the same time to face each other and then both burst out into laughter.

Once we recover, I reach out and cup Miley's cheek with my hand.

"You were so beautiful on stage," I whisper.

"I thought I was 'hot' and 'sexy'" she says with a smirk.

"Well, you were those things too," I chuckle, "But, seriously, you were like glowing. You should have heard the people in the audience. If they weren't a fan of you before, trust me, they are now."

"Thanks, Nick," she says softly, covering my hand on her face with her own, "I'm sure you hear this all the time, but you were amazing too."

"It means a lot coming from you though," I tell her with a smile. Suddenly our moment is interrupted by a loud female voice yelling.

"Is that... Demi?" Miley asks starring at the wall that separates our room from hers.

Another louder male voice comes through the wall as well.

"There goes Joe. Guess he surprised her alright."

"Should we interfere?" Miley asks stifling a yawn.

"Are you tired?" I answer her question with a question. I bring my hand down from her face and start rubbing circles on her hip.

"A little," Miley admits with a bigger yawn this time.

"You mean, a lot?" I tease, moving my hand to her back to rub it gently.

"Shut up," she mutters as her eyes flutter closed and then quickly open, "What about those two losers?" she asks gesturing with a glance to the wall.

I chuckle softly so as not to disturb her since she's half asleep already, "They'll work it out, just go to sleep."

She snuggles closer to me, "Will you sing to me?" she asks with eyes closed.

"Okay," I move my hands to her hair and run them through her hair.

"Mm, that feels nice," she murmurs, her lips against my chest.

I start singing an old hymn my mom used to sing to me when I was little and soon Miley is drifting off. All I can think as I watch her chest rise and fall slowly is that this is already hands down the best tour ever.

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**Thoughts? I know not a lot actually happened. This is just to get a feel of where we are now with Nick and Miley. Jemi shall be farther explored in the next chapter. Review?**


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry for any huge errors. I'll probably proofread again tomorrow, but I wanted to get this out there for you guys. I'm so happy about all the feedback the first chapter got! You guys are incredible!**

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**Miley's POV**

The phone's ringing. Nick grunts. And although I can tell these things are happening, I can't get up. The phone stops and I breathe a sigh of relief.

And then it rings again. Being the bigger person than Nick who is clearly just trying to block out the noise, I pick it up and say hello.

"Good morning, Miss Stewart. Here is your 6 am wake up call. "

"Oh, thank you," I tell the concierge. I forgot how early we had to get up to get to the next venue.

"No problem, have a nice day."

"You too," I reply and then hangup the phone. I turn in bed to see Nick sleeping soundly again. I shake my head, but decide to let him sleep while I get ready. Even though I took a shower after the show, I need another one after last night so I trudge into the bathroom and start up the water. I yawn. Today is going to be a rough day.

Later, dressed in denim shorts and a loose t-shirt, I approach Nick, who's still sleeping on the bed.

"Nick," I whisper softly, sitting on the edge of the bed and running my hand through his hair. If there's one thing I know about Nick, it's that he needs to be woken up slowly. Otherwise, he's cranky all day and who needs that?

"Nick?" I say a little louder, "It's time to wake up."

He grunts in response and pulls the blankets closer to him. He's not going to make this easy, is he?

"Come on, baby," I say right into his ear and then nibble on his earlobe gently.

"Mmm, don't stop," he says with his eyes still closed

I giggle, "I know you're awake. Now get up. I'm gonna go check on Demi. You better be up and showered when I get back. We're supposed to leave here around 7:15. That gives you a little over half an hour."

Without giving him time to respond, I get up and walk toward the door.

"Wait, Miley," Nick says suddenly and I turn around to see him still cuddled against the sheets. I involuntarily smile at how cute he is. "I love you," he smiles.

"I love you too," I reply with an even bigger smile on my face. Then I leave the room and head next door. I knock on the door next to ours and wait for a response. There is none. I pressed my ear to the door, but I can't here a shower running or anyone moving around. I knock a little harder and louder.

"Demi, it's me," I call through the door, "Are you up yet?"

Poor girl. She must have been so upset after the Joe fight that she didn't want to get up. I know she tries to play it off by being angry, but I can tell she's really hurt.

I raise my hand to knock on the door again, but finally, the handle turns and the door opens a few inches, revealing a dark room and Demi's face.

"Oh, my God, Demi," I say pushing into the room, "Are you okay?" I give her a hug, "I heard you and Joe fighting last night and I just came to-"

I'm cut off by the sight in front of me as my eyes adjust to the light. A pair of men's jeans hanging off the couch. Demi's shirt hanging off a lamp in the corner. And most surprising, the dark haired boy sleeping soundly in her bed.

"Oh!" I say in surprise. Looking at Demi I realized she's wearing an over-sized t-shirt that reaches mid-thigh. The same t-shirt Joe was wearing last night.

I start blushing although I doubt it's as bad as the one on Demi's face.

"Um, sorry," I stammer, "I'll just, um, go and leave you two to, yeah..."

"Miley, it's not what it looks like," Demi says as I begin to leave the room.

"Yeah, okay. We'll talk later, I'll just... Bye," I ramble leaving the room and shutting the door behind me.

Awkward. So awkward. When I get out to the hallway I let out a nervous laugh. I can't believe that just happened. Hopefully, this means that they're good. I mean, makeup sex always worked for Nick and I.

I'm not quite ready to go back to my room after that moment. I need a little time to calm down so I decide to go downstairs and get some coffee to bring up for Nick and I.

The hotel is pretty quiet at this hour so I don't run into anyone except one of Nick's band members. We both acknowledge each other, but it's obvious we have something else on our minds. After securing two coffees, I get in the elevator and head back to our room.

I use my key to open the door and walk inside. The first thing I see is Nick in the bathroom, with jeans and no shirt on, brushing his teeth. His spits and then rinses.

"Hi, baby," he says. Wow. He looks good. I mean, obviously I've seen him shirtless before, but with tour rehearsals and everything he's even more fit than before. Small beads of water trail from his still damp hair, down his hot body, to the waistband of his boxers that are poking slightly over his jeans.

"Mi?" he says, snapping me out of my trance. I try not to blush.

"Yeah?"

"You just looked kind of out of it for a second," he explains, "How did things with Demi go? Is she okay?"

"Oh, I'm sure she's okay... Joe took pretty good care of her last night," I say suggestively, raising my eyebrows.

"What do you- oh. No. Ew. Miley, why would you give me that image?"

"Sorry, babe," I laugh at his disgusted face, "I brought you coffee though, so am I forgiven?"

Nick walks over to me and takes one of the Styrofoam cups out of my hand.

"Yes, you're forgiven," he says and leans down to give me a peck on the lips.

I glance towards the clock and see that it's already 7.

"You ready to go?" I ask him as I glance around the room, making sure I didn't forget to pack anything this morning.

"Almost," he says going back to the bathroom to put his toiletries together.

"I can't wait to get back on the bus," I say with a laugh, flopping down on one of the arm chairs in the room.

"I could live on that bus," Nick jokes, "It's so nice."

Since it's just Nick and I on the bus, there's no need for the bunk beds that normally take up a lot of space. There's a big bedroom in the back, lots of closet space and a spacious living room/kitchen area. It's also equipped with cable, every movie you could ever want to watch on demand, and wireless Internet.

"I know," I agree. Nick finally gets his stuff together and we head down to the underground parking lot where the buses are parked.

We finally figure out which bus is ours (I don't know how Nick did it, they all look the same to me) and get on.

"Home sweet home," I cry, throwing myself on to the comfy couch right inside the door. Nick flips on the generator and the lights whir on.

Nick comes over to the couch as well and I sit up so he can join me. I tuck my head under his chin and he wraps an arm around me. I can already feel my eyelids getting heavy. I have a feeling I'll be taking a little nap during this trip.

Just than a loud knock comes from the door.

"Come in!" Nick calls and the door opens to reveal a sheepish looking Joe.

"Hey, uh, could I ride with you guys?" he asks sounding almost shy.

"What? Why?" Nick asks and I'm wondering the same thing. Considering what I saw this morning I thought he would want to ride with Demi.

"What I can't spend time with my little brother and his girlfriend?" Joe says defensively. Nick is about to open his mouth, but I beat him to it.

"Alright. Spill. What happened? From what I saw this morning, you and Demi were fine. Please don't tell me you messed it up in the past half hour."

Joe winces, "You saw that?" I nod. "Well, let's just say there wasn't really a lot of talking going on last night, but a lot of, um, action."

Nick snickers and I smack him gently, "Don't act all surprised, buddy. You know you're the exact same way when we fight."

It's Joe's turn to laugh at his brother's expense.

"So," I say turning back to Joe, "why don't you use this bus ride as an opportunity to talk to her?"

"Because," Joe says dramatically, "We can't fight on a bus. Then we both awkwardly will have to be there even after. I'll talk to her before her concert."

I frown. I guess it makes sense, but still.

"But you can't leave Demi to be on the bus all by herself after all that."

Joe looks to the ground so I look at Nick. He's also avoiding my gaze. Great. Obviously they aren't going to help.

"Fine," I say getting up, "I guess I'll ride with her."

I'm not going to lie, I'm a little annoyed after leaving the bus. I mean, Joe should just suck it up and talk to her. And it's annoying that Nick didn't try and get Joe to go see her. Isn't that the kind of advice brothers are supposed to give each other?

Luckily, Demi steps into the parking garage just as I get out of the bus. It would be pretty embarrassing to have to knock on all the buses before finding her.

She's wearing big black sweatpants that sit low on her her hips and a black band t-shirt. She's wearing a pair of dark sunglasses too. And we're underground. Uh-oh. That could only mean one thing: tears.

I run over to her and help her by taking the large rolling suitcase she is juggling with her purse and a tote bag.

"Hey," I say with a smile, "Looks like we're bus buddies today."

She nods and then goes to her bus and gets on. I follow behind her.

After letting the bus driver know that we're ready when he is, we put Demi's stuff down and take a seat on the couch. I don't want to push her so I just let the silence surround us for a moment.

Only once the bus starts moving does Demi take off her dark shades to reveal her bloodshot eyes.

"After you came in," Demi starts right away without preamble, "Joe woke up. It was awkward so I told him I was going to take a shower. When I got out, he was gone."

Ugh Joe. Seriously? It's like he wants her to hate him.

"He's probably just confused," I say trying to stand up for Joe.

"So am I!" Demi cries, "He's surprising me at my concert, he's fighting with me, he's seducing me, he's leaving me alone in the morning."

"I'm sorry," I say lamely because I don't know what else to say. I wish I could make it better for her. Normally, I'd probably just say screw the guy and move on, but I know that Joe loves her and really cares about her. It's really frustrating because I care about both of them so much.

"I love him, Miley," Demi confesses and her voice cracks and she begins to sob.

I wrap my arms around her as she cries it out. Sometimes that's just all you can do. The trees pass by the window quickly and I watch them as Demi buries her face in my neck while she sobs. All I can do is let her know that I'm here for her by staying with her physically.

"I don't know if I can do it anymore," she sobs out suddenly keeping her head tucked under my chin. My heart sinks. Of course, I'll support her no matter what, but Joe will be so heartbroken if they really are over.

"I can't keep up the 'I-don't-care-attitude'," she continues, "I just want to be with him again."

I let out a mental sigh of relief. This is good, right? I mean, they're good together. Demi's fun and even though she likes to go out she's not a big drinker or into drugs which is good for Joe. He makes her laugh harder than anyone I've ever seen.

"You need to tell him," I advise her and she sits up. She nods once and then looks down at her hands.

"You want to know how we got together?" Demi asks randomly, a smile a forming on her face as she looks at me. It's obvious that she wants to tell me and truthfully, I am curious. So I nod.

"Well, as I'm sure you know, everyone always thought we were dating when we were younger, but seriously, I swear on my career, there was never anything between us. Then that thing with Nick happened," she says with a blush and an apologetic smile, "and I just couldn't face them anymore. So I started doing my own thing and refusing to do things they did. So we kind of lost contact... Then, as you know, Joe was going to some rehab meetings in LA. Part of the program was that you were supposed to contact someone who you hadn't spoken to since before drugs took over your life."

I smile at the obvious direction that the story is taking. It's like from a movie or something. Then again, my own romance is like a fairytale too.

"So he called you?" I guess and Demi nods eagerly.

"Yeah, I was so surprised. And then we made plans to meet up. I knew the second we touched again that we were definitely going to be more than friends," she sighed dreamily, "He has such a big heart, you know? All of them do. It's hard to find a good guy in this business, but somehow they have a whole family of them."

"I know, it's not normal," I joke and I'm happy that Demi laughs along. Somehow I just know everything is going to work out for them.

I glance out the window and realize we've pulled up to the venue. The bus circles it before finding the underground tunnel where the buses park.

"We're here!" I yell, causing Demi to jump and then smack my shoulder gently.

"I should go freshen up," she says, pointing to her red swollen eyes and red face, "I'll see you inside."

"Definitely," I say as she heads for the bathroom of the bus. A few seconds later the bus has parked and I walk to the door to get off.

As soon as I get down the stairs, Nick is outside the bus waiting for me.

"Hi, baby!" he says in a chipper voice. Seeing him again reminds me how annoyed I am that he didn't take any initiative back in our bus with Joe.

I ignore him and look at Joe who is standing a little behind Nick looking a bit sheepish. The harsh overhead lights only accent the stubble on his chin and the bags under his eyes.

"Demi's just using the bathroom and then she'll be right out," I inform him. I don't want to break girl code, but I give him a warm smile to encourage him.

Nick opens his mouth to say something, but just then my assistant comes up to us.

"Hey Miley," she says, "Are you ready to head up to your dressing room? You've got few radio interviews in an hour or so and they're filming them so you'll probably want to freshen up."

I smile. Saved by the bell.

"That would be great, thanks," I say with a smile and walk over to join her.

"Yours is right next door, Nick, if you'd like to tag along," she adds.

I inwardly groan. Now why did she have to go and say that?

"Great, thanks," he says and follows along next to us, "Good luck, dude," he says to Joe who just nods and stares at Demi's bus.

Once we're on the elevator and out of earshot, Nick turns to me with a grin.

"So how'd it go with Demi?"

"Fine," I say stiffly and look up to watch the numbers change. I swear, this is the slowest elevator ever.

"Should I be expecting a Jemi reunion soon?" he presses on. I know he's trying to make me laugh and I'm not going to fall for it.

"I guess you'll find out," I say stiffly as we exit the elevator.

"Come on, don't leave me in the dark," Nick begs.

"Well, if you had come with me, you'd know. Or you know, if you had told your brother that he should go talk to her. But whatever. You can just wait now," I smirk and then go through the door that's marked "Miley Stewart".

Nick opens it and looks at me annoyed.

"You can't seriously be mad at me. You know that was a girl moment. And Joe's a big boy, I can't just make him do stuff. He needs to figure it out for himself."

"You could've suggested it though," I snap, "Can you just leave? I barely got any sleep last night and now I have like five interviews."

"Fine," Nick rolls his eyes.

"Don't do that."

"Do what?" he asks innocently.

"Roll your eyes like you think you're so much better than me. It's immature."

"Right, because you picking a fight with me because you're tired is SO mature," he says before leaving with a slam of the door.

He's so annoying. Yes, I'm tired from the concert and last night and yeah I didn't get a lot of sleep, but that has nothing to do with this. And besides, since he thinks he knows how tired I am, you'd think he would've tried even harder to make sure I could take a nap instead of talking to Demi. Oh well. I have more important things to think about than stupid Nick drama.

The interviews go by like a blur. It almost seems like I wasn't in my body for them. Sure, I answered all the questions, but my mind was a million miles away. Were Demi and Joe good now? When would I see Nick again? Was he still mad at me? Was I still mad at him?

Demi text me asking if I wanted to go to lunch, but I tell her to go ahead on her own (or more likely, with Joe). My head is pounding and the world is spinning except it feels like I'm standing still. I stumble back into my dressing room and barely make it to the couch before passing out.

"Miley?" a soft voice says, shaking me gently. I groan and turn away, but whoever it is is persistent.

I pry open my eyes and see my hairdresser standing over me.

"I'm sorry," she says a bit nervously, "But we have to start setting your curls now."

"No, no," I wave my hand in the air, "I'm sorry, I should've set an alarm or something."

She smiles at me and I glance at the clock. It's been four hours, but somehow it only feels like four seconds of sleep.

I feel like a doll during the process of getting ready. People are tugging at my hair, putting makeup on my face, and shoving me into clothes, but I feel passive and airy. I think I might head to sleep right after the concert.

Next thing I know I'm being lifted onto the stage. I feel comfortable up here. The words flow from my mouth effortlessly and my body knows all the right moves. I smile and take a bow as my set ends. I run back down to my dressing room quickly to get ready for- oh.

My duet with Nick. I haven't even seen him all day. I try not to think about it though as the costume people pull off my outfit and slide me into the red dress. Then I'm lead over to the hairdressers station where my dark eyeliner is taken off and replaced with mote natural tones and my hair is touched up. It seems like it's happening really fast, but it's really not. By the time they're done, it's already time for me to get into place on the lift.

Nick's voice fills my earpieces as the lift begins to rise. A microphone is shoved into my hand. And then I'm on stage and singing.

We're off-key. That's the first thing I notice. I can tell that Nick notices too by the little grimace on his face. He avoids my gaze though so I avoid looking at him too. I keep waiting for him to correct himself, but he doesn't. It's like he doesn't even want to try to make it better.

The performance sucked. And that's putting it nicely. We barely came within three feet of each other and I don't think he even looked at me once. I'm fighting tears as I walk back up the stairs to the lift. But I take deep even breaths and turn around to wave to the crowd before being lowered underneath the stage.

The first thing I see is Demi laughing hysterically with Joe next to her. Their hands are intertwined. Despite everything, this makes me smile. I knew they would be okay. And deep down, I know Nick and I will be too. But as for now, all I want to do is go to sleep. I can barely even walk in my heels.

"Hey," I say walking up to Joe and Demi. Their faces are both glowing.

"Hi," they say simultaneously then look at each other and laugh.

"I take it you two are back together?" I grin.

"Mmhmm," Demi replies affectionately while Joe beams at her. They're too cute, but honestly it's a little sickening right now.

"I need to sleep before I die," I say, only half joking, "If Nick asks, tell him I'm on the tour bus already."

"Will do," Joe says giving me a little salute. I laugh at him and then find my way to the tour bus. I'm still wearing my stage costume, but since I have five other custom made dresses identical to this one, I think it's okay. I kick off my heels and find an over-sized t-shirt to put on. Finally. I crawl into bed and sleep immediately over takes me.

***

"Mi?" a soft voice whispers as a strong hand squeezes my shoulder gently. I groan softly and try to burrow back into the sheets. "Mi?" it says again.

Mi. There's only person who calls me that. I try to force my eyes open, but it doesn't seem like my body is listening to me. So instead I make a small noise of recognition.

"I know you're tired, baby," Nick says softly, intertwining his fingers in my hair, "But I don't want you to go to sleep mad at me."

I turn around to face him in the bed and nuzzle my face against his bare chest. I guess he's ready for bed too.

"I'm not mad," I murmur and once the words leave my mouth I realize it's true. As usual, Nick was right and I was just tired and cranky and took it out on him.

"I'm sorry," he continues like he didn't hear me, "I knew you were tired and you even let me sleep in this morning, and I couldn't be bothered to give you the same courtesy. I came in your dressing room earlier, but you were napping and I didn't want to wake you up."

I smile against his skin.

"S'okay," I whisper, "I shouldn't have gotten mad at you just because I was tired. My best friend needed me and I would've been there no matter what. It's not your fault."

Nick's arms circle my waist and I'm vaguely aware that the bus has started moving.

"We sounded so bad tonight."

Nick chuckles quietly, "I wouldn't say bad. But we were definitely off."

"I was so scared," I say sleepily, "It seemed like you didn't want to fix how we sounded and it felt like you didn't want to fix us either."

"Don't cry, Mi," Nick begs and it's only then that I notice that a few tears have escaped my eyes, "Please, I hate when you cry."

"I love you," I say and wrap my arms around him.

He tugs me closer and I can feel his warm breath on my face, "I love you, too, baby."

I sniffle once and then stop crying. There's no need for tears because Nick is here now and he's not going anywhere. And also because deep down I know after all we've been through, nothing can stop us.

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**Sorry it's been awhile. I've been really busy with friends and stuff. It's coming to the end of my senior year, so I'm really trying to make every second count. But that doesn't mean I'm going to give up on my writing :)**

**Review please? I'm really going to try to not let it go this long before I update again. I haven't started the next chapter yet, but I can tell you it involves a jealous Nicholas :P and that's always fun haha  
**


	3. Chapter 3

**Nick's POV**

The next month of touring flies by. Almost everyday I wake up in a new city with Miley right by my side. I don't think I've ever been happier in my life.

The next two days are one of those rare ones where we're in the same city for two nights. It's nice because that means we have time to stay in a hotel room and do laundry and even hang out in the city for a little bit.

Tonight after the concert Miley Demi and I decided that we were going to go bowling at this bowling alley that one of Demi's friends told her about. It's not one of those tacky bowling alleys (even though those are fine by me), but a more upscale one with couches and a bar and stuff.

Miley and I walk in the bowling alley and go right to the desk. Earlier we reserved a lane for the three of us. Bowling isn't really their thing, but since this alley is really classy they decided to check it out.

"Hi, I called earlier and reserved a lane under Jonas," I tell the guy at the desk. He's a little older and doesn't seem to notice who we are which is good because I'm not really in the mood for the whole fan thing. I mean, I love my fans and I love being recognized, but sometimes I just want to go out and be normal, you know?

The guy looks at something on the computer and nods, "Yep, lane 7. Now if you'll just tell me your shoe size, I can get them for you and you can start."

We both get our shoes and Miley texts Demi to hurry up and that we're on lane 7. Miley and I left after the concert, but Demi wanted to shower and change first.

We're about to walk down to our lane when there's a sudden commotion.

"Miley Stewart?" some guy asks from behind us. Miley turns around and I do too. Three guys who look a little younger than us are standing there. Miley looks a little confused before one of them speaks up.

"We're huge fans of yours!" one of them, a redhead, speaks up, "I'm Mike."

Miley's eyes light up and I smile. I know how much she likes meeting her fans. She's so much more patient and gracious than I could ever be. Somehow she's able to make everyone feel like her best friend whereas I just feel awkward talking to people I don't know.

She moves from my side and gives him a big friendly hug. Typical Miley, hugging someone just because they're her fan even though she's just met them.

"I'm Dave," the brown haired guy with long bangs offers and receives a hug as well.

The last guy is tall with short blonde hair and green eyes, "Chris," he says with a smile and a wink.

Okay, seriously? Was that necessary? I notice the way his hands are low on her waist when he hugs her and how he holds on longer than the other two. I narrow my eyes at him, but his are glued to Miley.

"So did you guys come to the show tonight?" Miley asks them with a sparkle in her eyes. I want to leave right now, but Miley seems so happy and eager to talk to them. And it's not like they've done anything wrong. Yet, that is.

The redhead, Mike, shakes his head, "Nope, but we're going tomorrow."

"Are you excited?" Miley asks sounding excited herself.

The boys nod eagerly. I kind of want to laugh. They're like little puppies who just seem like they want to please her.

"I hear you put on a great show," Chris says with a smirk. Miley laughs and doesn't seem to notice how his voice sounds like he's implying something. My fists clench as his eyes rake her body. I mean, hello, her very public boyfriend is standing right here.

"I try," she replies with a smirk of her own. What the hell? Like, I know Miley's a flirt and all, but I'm right here.

"Can we take a picture with you?" Dave asks eagerly, pulling a camera out of his pocket and waving in the air.

"Of course!" Miley says with a bright smile. Dave and Mike each take pictures and then it's Chris's turn.

This is definitely not okay. His hand is so low on her waist he's basically grabbing her ass. And Miley's just letting him. I have to bite the inside of my mouth not to say anything. Deep breaths Nick, it'll all be over soon and you'll never have to see these assholes again.

Miley grins at me and I smile weakly back. Just then Demi shows up next to me.

"Hey, Nick," she grins and then looks over at Miley who is still talking to those guys and laughs, "Looks like Miley's found some new friends."

"More like _fans_," I say as though the word is poison.

"Aww is Nicky jealous?" Demi asks in a baby voice and then pinches my cheek. Which is completely unnecessary.

"No," I say taking a side step so that I'm out of her reach, "I just think it's kind of ridiculous that they're blatantly flirting with her and it's like she doesn't even notice."

We both look over at them and Miley is laughing and she reaches over to touch the shoulder of one of the guys. Chris. Of course.

"Relax," Demi rolls her eyes and then shouts, "Hey Miley!"

Miley turns around and her eyes lock in on Demi. She smiles and waves and then looks over at me and gives me the smile that makes me weak. Demi starts walking towards her and I follow behind slowly.

"You ready to bowl, girlie?" Demi asks Miley and she nods.

"Sorry guys, but it seems like I have to go," she smiles and hugs them all one last time. They all mumble goodbyes and then leave to go back to their own lane.

Then she intertwines our hands and the three of us walk towards our lane.

"It's so weird having male fans!" Miley gushes, "Actually it's weird having fans that are over the age of 13!"

Demi looks at her confused. Good one, Mi. I squeeze her hand gently and give her a look. She gets the hint.

"You know, because my music is like pop," she explains. It's a lame excuse, but good on short notice and it seems to settle Demi.

"But, seriously, those guys were definitely over 21," she giggles, "I can't really imagine them listening to my music."

Demi rolls her eyes while I try not to. Is she really that naive?

"I don't think it's the music they like, babe," I say gently.

Her nose scrunches up, "What do you mean?" she asks innocently.

Suddenly Demi moves apart from us and engrosses herself in picking out a bowling ball, leaving Miley and I alone.

"I mean, you know," I say carefully, "You don't really think they just like your music right? They're adult males, Mi."

Her face falls and I instantly feel bad. Her face is still pushed into a confused pout though and it looks like she's thinking.

"But, Nick," she says softly, "You like my music, right?"

Dammit. Way to walk yourself into this one, Nick. No one to blame but yourself.

"Of course, baby," I tell her earnestly, "You're so talented and everything you write is straight from the heart. I'm just saying that guys like that-"

"Oh, I get it," Miley interrupts with a smirk, "You're jealous!"

"What?" I exclaim, completely confused how she came to that conclusion, "What are you talking about?"

She laughs, all traces of insecurity gone from her face, "You. Are. Jealous."

"No, I'm not!" I insist as she continues to crack up like it's the funniest thing ever. I don't really get what's so funny about a bunch of losers trying to hit on your girl in front of you. Oh God. I am jealous.

"You are," she says again as her giggles subside, "Admit it."

I keep my lips shut though. There's no way I'm going to admit that she's right.

"It's kind of hot," she whispers seductively as she moves closer to me. My hands automatically find her hips as she presses the full length of her body against mine.

I look over her shoulder to see the guys she was talking to staring at us. Or more precisely, staring at her ass. Excuse me, but that ass is mine. Okay, wait. That sounded really possessive and wrong. I don't own her. But I do own her heart... And that was really cheesy. Ugh, the things she does to me.

I don't realize how my grip on her has tightened or that my jaw has clenched until Miley turns her head to see what I'm looking at.

She only glances at them for a second before turning back to me.

"You know what's funny?" she whispers, her hot breath hitting my ear as her lips hover above it. Actually, I'd love to know what could possibly be funny about this situation.

"Those guys are undressing me with their eyes..."

What the hell, Miley? How in the world is that funny? In fact, I'm feeling the urge to rip out their eyes so they can never do it again. I'm about to tell her this when she beats me to it.

"But tonight you'll be undressing me with your hands."

I don't even have time to process this information before she licks the shell of my ear and then prances away to join Demi who is holding a purple bowling ball. I swear, that girl will be the death of me. I take a deep breath and try not to think about the ideas that she just planted in my head. Once I've sufficiently calmed myself, I follow Miley and join her and Demi.

"Pick a ball, Nick!" Demi calls out as she starts to put our names into the machines.

I find one that I like and put it down. Demi goes up to take her turn while Miley and I stay back.

We both watch as Demi manages to not hit any pins before coming back to us.

"Suddenly, I remember why I hate bowling," she jokes.

"I bet I'll beat you," Miley says suddenly and punches me in the arm out of nowhere.

"Ow," I say and grab my arm. She's a lot stronger than she thinks she is especially when she catches me by surprise.

"You won't," Demi informs her. Hm maybe Demi isn't so bad after all. "He's a loser, all he ever does is bowl."

I take that back.

"I've never seen him bowl," Miley says. Nice how they're talking about me as if I wasn't even here.

"I've found better things to do since I've met you," I interrupt with a smirk.

Demi makes a grossed out face and Miley blushes. She tries to act all suave about sex, but I know it embarrasses her when I talk about it.

Miley goes up and grabs her orange ball and does a quick little walk to the edge of the lane while bringing the ball back and then, without bending, lets go of it. It makes a little thump and rolls to the side and into the gutter.

I can't help but laugh. Clearly the girl has no idea how to bowl. And she thought she could beat me. She turns around and glares at me for laughing. She takes her second shot and manages to hit seven pins. Lucky shot.

I smirk at her as she walks back to the seats and I pick up my ball. After perfectly assessing the situation I pull the ball back and take a few quick steps before bending down and letting the ball roll across the floor. It hits the pins with a crash and they all fall down. Strike. Yes.

"So what were you saying about a bet?" I say walking back to the couches where Miley and Demi are sitting. Demi giggles and then goes to take her turn again.

"Since you're so good, you won't mind making the bet more interesting, right?" Miley asks me.

She has a plan. I can tell just by looking at her. But I'm confident I can beat her. She has no form.

"Sure," I reply, "If I win you have to do my laundry for the rest of the tour."

Laundry is a pain when you're in a different city almost every day. First of all, you can only do it if we're staying in a hotel. Then, of course, the laundry is never on the floor we're staying on so you have to lug all of it down there and then you have to wait while it finishes so no one steals it. Then you have to bring it all back to the room.

"Fine," she says crossing her arms, "But if I win, no sex for two weeks."

I can't keep the shocked expression off my face. I can't believe she just said that. But I've got nothing to worry about. I'm going to win. She's just playing this little bet game because she thinks its cute and playful.

"Fine," I say after I've regained my composure. She just smirks as Demi walks back to us groaning about how bad she is. I look up at the score board to see that she managed to not hit any pins again.

"I suck," she groans as Miley steps up.

"Yeah, you do," I tease.

"Shut up," Demi hits my shoulder, "You're supposed to lie and tell me I'm not that bad."

"Uh, no," I counter, "That's Joe's job."

Demi chuckles and blushes a little. Surprisingly, her and Joe's relationship has only grown stronger while she's been on tour. He's managed to make it out to most of our weekend shows even though he's busy working on his first film back in LA.

I watch as Miley holds the ball up to her face then steps up. Her back foot flows out gracefully and she lets go of the ball at just the right time. The pins crash as the balls hits it and she gets a strike.

What. The. Hell. Was that?

Miley turns around with a satisfied smirk while Demi laughs.

Miley comes back and her and Demi high five.

"You planned that!" I accuse her, "You little hustler!"

"I don't play fair," she says sticking her tongue out, "your turn."

I can't believe her. She completely tricked me into believing she was bad when she's actually great. Now I'm nervous, what if she beats me?

Our scores are neck and neck the rest of the game while Demi stays back in the double digits. Although, I have to give her credit, she's actually hitting pins now. Honestly, I'm getting more and more nervous. Screw the bet. I'm going to lose to Miley and her and Demi will never let me live it down and they'll probably tell Joe who will forever tell everyone that I lost to a girl.

It's Miley's last turn and she had a determined look on her face. She releases the ball and manages to hit seven pins. Unfortunately for me, the pins left are almost dead center. There's no way she's going to miss this. And then she'll get another turn and probably get a strike. I'm seriously sweating.

Then something weird happens. Even though she's perfectly lined up, there's a weird spin on the ball. It almost seems planned. She misses the pins completely. She threw the game. Demi groans in disappointment and Miley shrugs her shoulders while I go to take my last turn.

When I finish (I won, of course. Two strikes.) Miley and Demi are chatting eagerly. They continue to talk as I pay for the game and as we walk back to the hotel. I can't even get a word in with those to chatterboxes. Finally Demi says goodnight and makes her way to her own hotel room while we go into ours.

"So, want to explain why you threw the game?" I ask her.

"What are you talking about?" she says with a tilt of her head. And I almost believe her except for just a split second her eyes flicker away from mine and a slight blush falls across her cheeks.

"You threw the game," I say again, taking a step towards her.

"No," she insists, "The ball just had a weird spin to it."

"A weird spin that you put on it," I counter getting even closer to her. By now our bodies are just a hair away from brushing against each other.

She shakes her head so that the ends of her hair brush against my chest and her scent goes flying into the air.

"It's okay," I whisper, bring my lips next to her ear, "I know why you did it."

Miley licks her lips and raises an eyebrow. "Oh yeah?" she says in that all too seductive voice of hers.

"Mm... Because you wouldn't be able to resist me for two weeks."

I lean down so that her hip is against my shoulder.

"Nick!" she yells warningly before I scoop her up so that she's thrown over my shoulder. "Put me down!"

I take her over to the bed and then throw her down. I try to crawl on top of her, but she crosses her arms as a barrier between us.

"I could resist you," she tells me.

"Yeah?" I say with a jokingly condescending smile on my face.

"Yeah," she says with an attitude.

She stares at me intently in the eye and a moment of silence passes between us.

"... but I don't want to," she says suddenly before grabbing my face and attacking it with kisses. I laugh at her antics and then kiss her back. A few seconds later she pulls my face away from hers.

"But I still didn't throw the game!" she says and then attaches her lips to my neck. I could argue with her, I know I'm right, but with what she's doing to my skin right now I have higher priorities...

***

The next night we're at the same venue so everything is a lot less rushed. As usual, Miley and I are in her dressing room before the show. Her head is in my lap as she lays on the couch. She has her eyes closed and she's humming softly to herself. I love these quiet moments with her. It's not often that we get to have them on tour.

"Hey Nick?" she says suddenly and I look down to see her blue orbs. "You know I love you, right?"

Not that I don't like hearing that, but I wonder where it came from.

"Of course, I love you too, baby."

"It's just hard to believe that if I had never met you I'd probably still be working that stupid desk job at E!."

Miley sits up and looks down at her hands, "I just feel like I owe you so much, Nick. And I don't know how to thank you."

"Hey, look at me," I say touching her chin gently and tilting her face up, "You don't owe me anything. Everything you've gotten, you've earned. Actually, I feel like _I_ owe _you_. You don't understand how it feels to wake up next to you every morning and see your smiling face. Or how it's like you always know the exact right thing to say to me at any given moment. You've given me something I've never had before: true love."

And as cliche as it sounds, it's true. Miley is the best thing that has ever happened to me.

Tears fill her bright eyes leaving them looking glassy. She scoots closer to me and tucks herself under my arm, burying her face into my chest slightly.

You're beautiful," she says softly, bringing her left hand up to my right shoulder. And I know she doesn't mean physically. It might sound weird to some people, but with Miley and I it's just like we get each other even if the words aren't perfect which is why I decide to not use words to tell her how I feel about her.

Instead, I grasp her chin and slowly bring her mouth to mine. It's ridiculous how softly I kiss her. I just want to take my time even though I get the feeling we're going to have a lot more time together. The rest of our lives, to be exact.

It might sound weird, but for a moment it's like I was transferred back onto the beach, _our beach_, where we had our first real kiss. I can almost feel the sand on my skin and how even though I was kissing someone new, but it felt comforting and familiar. I didn't know back then that I would ever feel this way about her.

Miley pulls away first with a tiny grin on her face. You know, the kind where you're trying to hide it, but you can't. I can't even make fun of her because I'm pretty sure I have the same look on my face. For a moment in time it's just the two of us, in her dressing room, just being in love.

But like all good moments, this one is interrupted by a knock on the door and an announcement that "Miss Stewart" is needed for vocal warm ups.

It's okay though, because like I said, we're going to have plenty of time in the future.

***

The best part of this tour is performing with Miley every night. Every time she comes up on the lift, my heart explodes in my chest. And when she sings with me? Forget it, I'm gone.

I love looking out into the crowd and seeing all the different people who are fans of Miley, Demi, and I. There are the younger girls here with their parents, the older teenagers experiencing freedom, the few guy fans and the guys who are clearly just here because of their girlfriends.

What I don't love seeing however, is stupid guys in the crowd who hold up stupid signs.

"I'll fight you for Miley, Nick" one particularly obnoxious one reads. I know it's supposed to be a joke or whatever, but honestly there's not a lot that I find funny about guys trying to steal my girlfriend.

Miley walks down the steps until she's next to me and winks at someone in the front row. I scowl slightly when I realize who it is. Those idiots from the bowling alley.

Almost like out of nowhere, one of them pulls up a sign that says "Marry me, Miley."

Miley takes the microphone away from her mouth and laughs. I glare at them, but they're too enthralled by her. What makes them think they even have a chance?

I scowl my way through the performance until it's over and Miley waves goodbye and blows kisses. The rest of my set goes by without any surprises and when I finally leave the stage Miley is waiting for me with a towel and a bottle of water.

I wipe my face and then chug half the bottle as we walk back down to the dressing rooms.

"So tonight was... Interesting," she comments with a giggle. Obviously she didn't see my face or she wouldn't be joking about it. It's not that I think Miley would ever do anything with one of those guys, it's just annoying that they even try.

"Not really," I say shortly and she looks at me with that look. Oh great. Looks like I'm in trouble.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asks with her hands on her hips.

"It's just annoying to see all those guys like trying to hit on you especially when I'm right there."

"You know they don't mean anything to me."

"Well, it means something to me."

"God, Nick," she says frustrated, "Do you even hear how hypocritical you sound right now? Do you even know how many girls hate me just because I'm dating you? Do you notice how they throw themselves at you? Or how they wear dresses just to a concert just to impress you?"

"But that's different... I don't even notice them, you're all that I want." The second it comes out my mouth, I know how stupid it sounds. That's what she's been trying to tell me all along.

"I know that," she says, softer this time, "But I need you to know that about me."

"I do, baby," I sigh, "I just forget sometimes."

She giggles and shakes her head in a good natured way. I'm just glad that this didn't start a fight.

"Well, don't," she says ending the conversation. Remember what I said about her always knowing the right thing to say to me? This is exactly what I meant.

I go in to embrace her but she takes a step back.

"Not-uh," she says, "Not while you're all sweaty and gross. Shower first and then we'll talk."

I shake my head at her, but head to my dressing room to shower.

"Oh? And Nick?" she adds right before I go in, "I'm expecting your proposal to be a lot more romantic than that."

Before I can say anything, she goes into her own dressing room and I'm left in the hallway with a big goofy grin on my face.

* * *

**sooo in case you haven't figured it out by now, all of the tour chapters are basically filler until the story really starts.**

**the next chapter could very possibly be the last tour chapter, so i was just wondering if there was anything that you guys wanted to see before the tour ended? Or any other things you want to see thoughout the story. I mean, I already have the plot figured out, but if you guys have like little filler/fluffy scenes that you'd like to see, let me know & i'll see if i can make it fit.**

**Oh and, this has 100 reviews already. wtf you guys are ridiculous. lovvee youu :)  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**Nick's POV**

"Shh," I say putting my finger against Miley's lips where giggles won't stop escaping.

My other hand is around her waist, gripping her tightly while she hangs onto my shoulders, pressing her body against me. Fitting two people in a space only made for one is no joke.

One of the stage hands gives us the thumbs up and I nod at him and hold Miley tighter as the lift begins to ascend.

As soon as we're visible on stage, the crowd goes wild. Miley brings a finger to her lips and holds up the object in her hand.

Below us, down the stairs, Demi sings on without even realizing we're there. Not for long though. An instrumental break happens in the song and I hold up my fingers in a 1, 2, 3 count and then Miley and I attack.

I take the left as Miley takes the right. She wastes no time pressing on the can of silly string in her hand and completely covering Demi in the slimy spray. Demi's face is one of complete shock and she turns to run in the other direction only to be met with more silly string from me.

She runs away behind us, but we chase her around the stage. Miley runs out of silly string first (she's more about speed than accuracy) and she reaches for her belt where she has two more cans stashed. Demi eyes the second can and in an instant I know what she has planned.

Demi lunges for Miley's side and grabs the can. Miley realizes her fate and tries to run past Demi over to me. But just as Miley runs by me, I reach out and grab her waist, turning her around and holding her so that Demi can cover her in the stuff. Miley wiggles and fights but I hold onto her tightly. She does manage to free her arm with the silly string can in it though and uses it to spray my hair. Demi's band (because they're such good sports) keep playing the whole time, but when they see that we're out of silly string they stop.

Demi brings her microphone to her mouth and for a few moments all that come out are her giggles. The sound guys were all in on it too so luckily Miley and I are wired to the stage microphones so we can hear her.

"Well guys," she says, "How about a warm welcome to my best friends, Miley and Nick?"

The crowd cheers and Miley hugs Demi tightly with both arms as Demi puts the arm without the microphone around me. I quickly duck out of her grasp. I'd rather not be part of this "best friends" love fest. At least, not in front of thousands of people. I do have an image to maintain, you know.

I jokingly run away from them and back to the lift and Miley follows after me with a grin.

Once we're both on the platform, it begins to go down. I wave and Miley blows a kiss to the crowd. Demi's giggles fill our ears again before the next song starts up.

The second we're off the lift, I'm greeted by a hand in my face.

"Nice," Joe says with a grin and I give him a high five back, "You got both of them _so_ good."

"I know, right man?" I grin back. Miley hits me on the chest and mumbles something that sounds like "jerk" under her breath before going to join Lily backstage.

Joe and Lily aren't the only special guests tonight though. We're back in LA and the entire family flew up from Texas for the last show. Miley's dad, brother, and sister-in-law are all here as well.

Demi finishes the song she started when we were leaving and then exits before her encore. She rushes back stage, grabbing Joe and giving him a quick peck, before heading into the makeshift dressing room to do her last outfit change.

She emerges seconds later in black skinny jeans, boots and a red top and flashes a smile before getting back up on the stage. Joe's beaming as he watches her on the TV screen backstage. He would have loved to be in the audience, but he and Demi aren't public yet and neither of them wanted to start rumors.

I'm not going to lie, Demi kills it. She gives thank yous and runs across the stage after her song, waving to fans and touching as many hands as possible. Then she comes down under the stage again. Tears are pouring down her face. Typical Demi. She cries after _every_ last show she does. Miley runs over and engulfs her in a hug and Demi laughs though the tears.

"You were amazing!" I hear Miley yell over the roar of the crowd who's still cheering for her.

"No, you were!" Demi says trying to wipe her tears away. Joe engulfs the two of them into a bear hug.

"You're both amazing," Joe says in a fake tearful voice and then engulfs them both in a giant bear hug. Cameras are flashing all around us. Probably my mom. She's like that, taking pictures of everything we do.

"Come here, Nick," Joe says, waving me over to their group hug. I roll my eyes (remember, image) but wrap my arms around the other side of the two girls.

"Group hug!" Miley and Demi shriek and next thing I know I'm being completely attacked by people joining our hug. Now I'm only going to admit this once, so listen up, I kind of enjoy it. I mean, the atmosphere is happy and exciting, although kind of sad too. I've been using the same crew for a long time and they're all like family to me.

After a few moments, everyone disperses to do their own thing. There's a wrap party tonight so we all need to go get cleaned up and dressed. I leave Miley at her dressing room and then go to my own to take a shower and get ready.

After getting dressed in dark jeans and a nice navy blue polo I knock on Miley's dressing room door.

"Come in!" she calls softly and I push open the door.

She's examining herself in the three way mirror and even though I'd probably think she'd be hot in a potato sack, she's looking seriously hot.

Her dress is zebra striped with a black border on the strapless sweetheart neckline and under the bust. It comes in tightly around her waist and also tightens around her lower thighs.

Her tour clothing is kind of loose and flowing and I'm not as used to seeing her in tight clothes. Maybe it's just the way the dress is cut but she looks really, really tiny. I frown slightly for a moment.

"Does this look okay?" she asks looking up into the mirror to meet my eyes behind her.

"It looks great," I say with a smile and come up behind her to wrap my arms around her.

"You look really tiny," I tell her as my hands circle her waist. Her hands land on top of mine, "Is everything okay?"

I know a lot of girls who have developed eating disorders when being thrust into Hollywood. I hope that's not the case. I mean, I see her eat at least three times a day and we live together so it would be hard for her to hide anything. But at the same time she's definitely not the same curvy girl I started the tour with.

"I'm fine, Nick," she says with a laugh, "I always lose a lot of weight on tour. I burn a lot of calories sweating up on stage and especially with what we get up to at night."

She grins mischievously up at me and I blush.

"You really make me work," she says seductively as she turns around and presses her body against mine. I take advantage of the mirror behind me and check out her ass.

She shakes her head knowingly at me when I look back at her and I grin sheepishly.

"I can't believe it's over," she says with a sigh, resting her head on my shoulder. Her hands are on my biceps and mine are now on her hips.

"Mmm," I agree, sensing that she wants some time to talk.

"I just feel like tour was this huge thing and it was with you so it was great, but now I just don't know what's next for me..."

"Do you want to record another album?" I ask her carefully as I start to sway our bodies together as if we were slow dancing. Instead of questioning it, Miley sways along as if the motion is comforting for her.

"I don't know," she says as if that's the worst thing ever. She bites her lip and looks up at me.

"You know I'll be there either way." I push a stand of hair off her face. "I'm always gonna be there."

"I know," she says contently, "I know."

"As cute as this is..." a voice in the door way suddenly interrupts us, "The last car is here and waiting for the four of us. So either you leave now or we're leaving you here."

Demi giggles and I turn around to see her and Joe holding hands. Of course Joe is the one who threatened to leave us here.

"This is the kind of thing I'd have to walk in on all the time," Demi complains to Joe as if we're not here, "They're so cute it's disgusting."

"Well then," Joe says, "I guess we'll have to out-cute them." He leans in and rubs his nose against Demi and she giggles (as usual). They continue to Eskimo kiss while Joe says stupid stuff in a baby voice.

"Okay, we're going," I roll my eyes and push through them out the door with Miley in tow.

Joe and Demi continue to laugh behind us and I can tell they're whispering and snickering about Miley and I. And seriously it's just so immature. Sometimes Joe acts like he's still in middle school.

"Relax," Miley says, catching up to me, "They're just happy to be together again."

She's right, as usual. So I put a smile on my face and turn around.

"For the record, you'll never out-cute us."

It's Miley's turn to laugh now and she detaches our fingers to put her arm behind my back. I don't mind though because it brings us even closer. Soon we're approaching the back door and we all pile into the car. The ride is short and soon we're pulling up outside the club where our tour wrap party is being held.

The second Demi, Miley and I walk in a cheer arises. There are the usual toasts and speeches but to be honest I've done this so many times that I'm not even paying attention. Mom comes up and does her usual "I'm so proud of you!" speech and Miley is whisked away by Lily so they can have a chat.

After mom walks away, I scan the room. Miley and Lily are still talking animatedly in the corner and I don't want to disturb their time together. Demi and Joe are attached at the hip so I don't really want to go over there. They'll just purposely try and gross me out and I just don't need that.

Next I spot Kevin and Danielle sitting together in the corner. I guess I'll go talk to them then. I walk across the room and pull up a chair at their table.

"Hey, Nick," Danielle says warmly with a huge smile. She's always so nice. It's hard to remember a time where she wasn't part of the family.

"Hey, Dani, Kev," I say with a nod and Kevin nods back.

"You were great out there on that stage," Kevin tells me, "Almost makes me wonder why you put up with Joe and me all these years."

"Shut up, man," I say, "We were always good as a team. It's weird without you guys."

"So how are things with you and Miley?" Dani asks with a genuine smile on her face. It's nice to hear someone ask about her without a sarcastic smirk (i.e., Joe or Demi).

"Good," I say with a smile, "Great, actually. Never been better."

"We're really happy for you Nick," she says giving Kevin a glance and he nods in agreement, "I couldn't have dreamed of a better girl for you."

"I know," I steal a glance across the room at her, "She's perfect."

"So, are you thinking about popping the question anytime soon?"

My mouth drops open in shock. I was definitely not expecting that one.

"Uh, well, I mean, we're just taking it slow, you know? No need to rush it we have plenty of time, we're still young," I stammer out.

Kevin chuckles, "Look how red you made him turn."

"I'm sorry," she says with a chuckle, "I was just curious."

"No, it's fine," I say running my hand through my hair as my heart rate slows down. My mind travels back to the little velvet box that I've had for what seems like an eternity. Some day.

"I'm going to the bar," I say getting up, "You guys want me to send something your way?"

"I'll have another beer," Kevin says pointing at his empty bottle.

"Just a water for me, please," Dani says politely.

"You sure you don't want anything else? A cocktail? Champagne? It's on the company so you might as well take advantage."

"Oh no, I don't want any alcohol..." she says looking down so that her thick brown hair covers her face while Kevin wraps an arm around her.

"No way," I say putting two and two together. Dani looks up and then looks at Kevin who shrugs.

"Oh wow," I try to process this information, "Congratulations!"

I go over to give Dani a hug and a kiss in the cheek and then give Kevin a handshake.

"Who knows?" I ask, glancing towards our parents.

"They know," Kevin says reading my thoughts, "We just went to the doctor yesterday to confirm. We didn't want to take away from your night. We were going to tell you tomorrow. But we're going to wait a little longer before we give a press release."

"Wow," I repeat myself, "Well, I'll just go get you those drinks..."

Holy shit. I'm going to be an uncle. Joe's going to be an uncle. Kevin's going to be a freaking dad. They wanted to wait a while before they had kids so it wasn't like I was expecting it. Although it's definitely been long enough and even though I don't want to think about it, Dani's biological clock is ticking.

"You look like you've just seen a ghost," a familiar voice interrupts my thoughts.

"I just heard some exciting news."

"Oh yeah? And what was that?"

"Dani's pregnant," I say with a grin.

"Oh my God!" Miley squeals and looks over at them. They're in their own little world though so she turns back to me.

"Do you want a drink?" I ask her and she nods, "Champagne?" I guess.

She giggles, "You know me too well."

I order all the drinks and then turn back to look at Miley.

"I saw you talking to Lily," I say conversationally.

"Yeah," she sighs happily, "Don't get me wrong, I love Demi, but I really, really missed Lily."

"Do you want to dance?" I ask her suddenly.

She looks at me funny. "You just ordered drinks."

"I'll have them sent over to Kev and Dani's table, just one second, okay?" I turn around and let the bartender know what I want before even seeing if Miley agrees.

"Ready?" I ask and then grab her hand and pull her out to the dance floor. There is a bunch of other people out on the floor too. It's incredible how many people it takes to make a tour run smoothly and everyone is here.

The song is fast, but our parents are here, so I keep her facing me as my hands rest on her hips. They move with the music, making it look simple and easy in the way that only Miley can do.

"You're so awkward to dance with," she rolls her eyes as she puts her hands on my shoulders. But it's in a teasing way, not in a mean way.

"Maybe we should take lessons."

"_We_ don't need lessons, _you _need lessons," she counters.

"Yeah, but without a partner, you'll never know who I'll wind up with. It could be some hot blonde college chick," I tease.

A look of indignation falls across her face for a moment and I stifle a laugh.

"That's ridiculous," she says, "You're not into blondes."

"No, I'm just not into girls that aren't you."

Any chance I get to let her know that she's the one for me is one that I'm going to take. She'll probably think it's cheesy but she'll do that thing where she bites her lip and tries not to smile which is just so damn cute it drives me insane.

"You're cheesy," she says biting her lip. See, told you. I know her that well. When she finally releases her lip from her teeth I lean in a kiss her softly.

"I love you," I say and brush a strand of hair off her face and behind her ear.

"I love you too," she smiles.

"I love you too," a mocking voice calls and I look over to see Demi and Joe dancing next to us.

I roll my eyes a groan. If this is what Joe is going to be like every day, I'm turning around and going back on tour.

"Joe," Demi reprimands. Honestly, I'm surprised that she didn't giggle along with him. "Leave them alone."

"Fine," Joe pouts and then Demi leads him to a different part of the dance floor.

"I don't know what she sees in him," I say shaking my head.

Miley looks over her shoulder, "Well, they both kind of have an immature sense of humor, but they're both really driven at the same time. Plus, he's easy on the eyes."

"Did you just call my brother attractive?" I ask raising an eyebrow. Ew. That's just gross. Besides, she's my girlfriend.

Miley giggles, "What? You Jonas men are just all extremely attractive. Good genes."

"Okay, well, I guess I'll let it slide since you complimented me too, but I really don't want to hear about what you think about my brother's appearance."

"Do you want to know what I think about your appearance?" she teases with a smirk.

This should be good. I nod and she sways her hips a little harder to the music and moves closer.

"I like this," she runs her hands through my hair, effectively messing it up, "Especially when it's messed up like that."

"I like these," her hands fall on either side of my eyes, "And I like these," her fingers brush against my lips.

"I like these," her hands run across my shoulders then run down to my hands on her hips, "I love these and I especially love what they do to me."

Oh God. This needs to stop. She is far too sexy for her own good.

"I like this," her hands rub against my chest, circling lower and lower.

I grab her wrists, "_OH-kay_. Enough of that."

"Or I could just tell you later," she winks and returns his hands to my shoulders.

I can't even think of anything to say to that so I keep my mouth shut.

"Miley!" Demi calls suddenly from over by the bar, "Come here and take a shot with me."

Miley laughs and shakes her head and looks at me for permission. She's so considerate like that. I nod at her and then follow as she goes over to the bar. Maybe that's why we work so well. We like being alone as a couple, but we're also able to socialize as a couple too. I think that's what a lot of people are missing in relationships.

Miley and Demi take a shot while Joe watches from the sidelines. I catch his eye and tilt my head at him. He nods back. Brothers just have the kind of connection. I was asking him if he was okay with the drinking and he was telling me it was fine. I can't believe how strong he's become.

As night goes on, more and more people leave. My parents and Miley's dad leave around midnight and most of the crew leaves around two because they have to get up early to dismantle the stage tomorrow. Soon almost everyone is gone except the people who work at the nightclub who are starting to clean up. Even though the music has stopped Miley and I are still swaying on the dance floor. It's like we don't want this night to end. Her shoes are off, leaving her a few inches below me and her head rests on my chest. She lets out a soft yawn. It's the third in the past five minutes.

"You tired?" I ask even though it's obvious.

"A little," she says sleepily.

"You want to go?" is my next question.

"Yeah," she says with a smile, "Let's go home."

* * *

**End of the tourr :) Review please? Thank youu. I have so much planned for this story... GET EXCITED.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Just a short one for now :)**

* * *

**Miley's POV**

This night (or, better put, this morning) is bittersweet. Tour is over. The party's over. The future is a little hazy, but somehow I'm still happy.

Nick helps me into the last town car that's there to take us home, then talks to the driver for a moment before sliding in next to me.

Even though the car is spacious, I prefer to be right next to Nick cuddled up to his side. The car starts and with the steady motion of the tires on the road, it's hard to keep my eyes open.

"Miley?" Nick says just as I'm about to fall asleep. Trust him to have perfect timing.

"Yeah?"

"Did you have a good time on tour?" he asks me.

"Yeah," I say with a smile, "It was so fun being with you and Demi all over the country and I love performing and meeting fans."

"You belong on that stage, Mi," Nick says and even though I can't see it in the dark car, I can hear the smile in his voice. "When you're up there, it's like you own the world. You can tell that you love it. I'm so happy that you got this chance."

"It's weird to perform as Miley," I admit, "But it feels like I can bring this whole new energy to the stage that Hannah couldn't."

Hannah was all about being a glamorous popstar. But Miley is all about the music. Hannah was mostly for tweens whereas Miley is for anyone and everyone. I'm lucky that I've been able to do both when most people have to make the transition if they want to stay relevant.

Nick wraps an arm around me and squeezes me tight. I like how sometimes we don't need words to be there for each other. I look out the window and see the exit we should be taking passing by.

"Hey, wait, that's our exit," I exclaim looking up at Nick. He has a sheepish look on his face and he avoids my gaze. "Where are we going?" I demand. I'm tired. I want to go home and go to sleep. He better have a good reason for this.

"The beach," he says quickly without a farther explanation. I instantly know that he means our beach. Where we had our first date and where we made up after our first break up. We've come a long way since then.

But that doesn't mean I want to visit it at four in the morning.

"Nick," I try not to whine, "I'm tired, I don't think we should-"

"Please, Mi?" he interrupts, "I always go after a tour. To reflect. It's the only place I can get thinking done."

It's hard to say no when he says something like that. I mean, if it's his tradition, who am I to stop it? So I try not to pout that much as the car continues down the road.

Maybe while he goes to think on the beach, I can stretch out in the back of the car and go to sleep. Yeah, that could work. I don't know how long he plans to reflect or whatever it is he wants to do, but either way I'm sleeping through it.

Actually I want to sleep _now_, but Nick keeps moving, causing me to move, every time I try to drift off. It's like he's trying to keep me awake. Why can't he just be a normal boy and just take me home now? I mean I love how deep he is, but at times like this it's frustrating.

After what seems like twenty years we pull up to the small path to the beach. It's funny how the first time I came here I didn't even notice it and now it seems obvious.

"Come on," Nick says as he opens the door and steps out.

"No, I think I'll just stay here," I try to say politely as possible. As stupid as I think this is, I don't want him to know that I think it's stupid. I can be a supportive girlfriend... From the sidelines.

"Mi," he groans, "Just get out of the car."

"I don't want to put my shoes back on," I argue, pointing to my bare feet. I can't walk over the dunes in bare feet. You never know what could be there for me to step on. It's rocky in places. I could get seriously hurt and then Nick would feel bad and I wouldn't want to do that to him.

"I'll carry you," he offers. But it's not really an offer. It's more of a demand. "Come on, I wanna share this with you."

He would play that card.

Okay, fine, I'll get out. I'll go to the stupid beach. But I don't have to like it. It's not like it was my idea. Also, it's cold. The second I get out of the car I can feel the wind off the water. And I'm in a tiny dress. Awesome.

Nick bends down so I can climb on his back. I purposely don't hold any of my own weight and try to make myself as heavy as possible. I know I'm being a pain in the ass, but so is he. It's like he doesn't even notice though. How is he not exhausted? I clearly am. Did he have coffee or something and I missed it?

When we finally hit the sand he lets go of my legs so I fall off his back. Rude. Then he takes my hand and we walk closer to the water. Once we're at the spot he wants, he stops.

I make a move to sit down, but he grabs me and holds me up.

"No, you have to stand," he insists, "You won't get the full effect if you sit."

What the fuck. I'm seriously starting to get pissed at this point. It's almost five in the morning. We woke up at six. I. Need. Sleep. If anyone, Nick should understand how cranky I get if I don't get enough sleep.

"Look out at the water," he commands again. I cross my arms. Is something supposed to happen? Because quite frankly, all I can see is darkness. I can't even make out the water even though I can hear the waves crashing against the shore.

I don't get it. Am I supposed to be feeling something special? Is something supposed to happen? Actually I feel kind of let down. Even though I was complaining, I was kind of expecting something epic to happen. I sigh and then turn to Nick.

But he's not there. Huh? What the...

Then I look down.

And I see him.

On one knee.

With an open ring box in his hands.

My hands fly to my face in surprise and I feel tears that I don't remember starting running down my cheeks.

"Yes!" I say through the tears before he can even ask the question, "Yes, yes, yes, yes!"

He chuckles at my reaction, but you can tell that he's completely relieved at the same time. As if I would say no.

He reaches for my left hand which has fallen to my side and takes the ring out of the box. Everything seems like it's moving in slow motion as he slides the white gold band onto my ring finger. The single modestly sized diamond in the middle glints in the little light from the moon and stars. It's everything I've ever wanted for an engagement ring. Simple, but elegant and classic. A fresh batch of tears starts down my face. Oh God, if this is the engagement I can only imagine how emotional I'll be at the wedding.

Wedding. We're going to get married. It's official now. And even though I've pictured the rest of our lives together, I can barely wrap my mind around it.

I don't have that much time to think about it though because as soon as the ring is safely on my finger Nick stands up and pulls me into a deep kiss. His hands wrap around my waist as mine grasp his face. It starts out soft and passionate, but quickly becomes more as his tongue glides against my lips and I part them. I don't know how long we stand there kissing, but I know that pulling apart feels like the hardest thing ever even though I can hardly breathe at this point.

"Miley, will you do me the honor of marrying me?" he asks with a smile.

"I already said yes," I say with a laugh and move my arms from his face to his shoulders. We barely move apart though. Right now I just want to be close to him.

"I know," he pulls me even closer, "I just thought I should be official and ask."

"Well, then, yes Nicholas I will take on the honor of marrying you," I tell him with a giggle.

"I was so nervous," he confesses, "I thought you were going to refuse to come to the beach and I was freaking out and I had this whole big speech planned, but then when you looked at me, it just flew from my mind."

"Like I would say no," I roll my eyes.

"Well, I don't know," he says defensively, "I don't know how your mind works."

"I've lasted this long," I tease back, "I'm in it for the long run."

"I love you," he says seriously and presses his forehead to mine.

"I love you too," I reply and then before I can stop it a yawn escapes my mouth.

"Alright, I get it," Nick laughs, "We'll go home now and you can get your sleep."

"I didn't mean to," I protest, as we turn and walk hand and hand back to the dunes.

"I know, but you are tired. But I thought this was a perfect moment and I didn't want to pass it up."

"It was perfect," I assure him, giving his hand a little squeeze, "I didn't see it coming at all though."

"I know, that was probably the best part," he says, "I thought you were going to kill me when I asked you to get out of the car."

"I thought about it, but luckily you're cute, so I didn't.... So who knows you were going to ask me?"

He looks at me and grins, "No one."

"No one?!"

"I mean, I asked your dad ages ago if it was okay, but no one knew I was going to ask tonight. It will be a good surprise for tomorrow."

Aw. He asked my dad. That's so sweet. I can only imagine how that conversation went. Dad loves Nick, he was probably begging for him to ask me.

We get back to the dunes and Nick scoops me up bridal style without any warning.

"Woah!" I yell, gripping onto him.

"I'm just practicing," he says with a laugh.

And then it hits me again. We're getting married. I'm going to wear a white dress and walk down the aisle with my dad. It's completely overwhelming, but in a good way.

"What are you smiling about?"

"Just picturing you in a tux at the end of the aisle," I say and Nick's face brightens too.

"I'd picture you in a white dress, but I'm sure it won't do justice to how you'll actually look."

I blush a little. Even after all this time his compliments still get to me.

We get back to the car and he somehow manages to open the door and sit me down gently. Once the car's in motion, my eyelids start getting heavy again. This time Nick stays still and lets me drift off for a little while.

The next thing I know, I'm being placed on bed and the covers are being pulled over me. I force my eyes open and see Nick getting undressed and then getting into bed. My dress is still on. Leave it to Nick to be a gentleman like that. I pull it over my head and discard it onto the floor.

"Hi," I whisper softly as I turn to look at Nick.

"Go back to sleep," he whispers back, "You're going to need it. Tomorrow I'm taking you out for dinner."

I smile at him and then shift myself into a more comfortable sleeping position. The last thing I see before shutting my eyes is Nick looking at me and the ring on my finger. Before I drift into unconsciousness one last thought passes my mind for the third time: **We're getting married.**

* * *

**Betcha didn't see that one coming (yet).**

**Soo if you follow me on twitter, you'll know that tonight is my senior prom. and I'm updating. Because I love you. Yay. Hope you liked itt, I'll update again (with a normal length chapter) next week.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Miley's POV**

"Miley…"

The world is shaking.

"Miley, it's time to wake up," Nick says in a sing-song voice. Ugh. No. Must. Sleep. More.

I groan and turn over away from his voice.

"Mi, as much as I'd love to let you sleep, we have a dinner reservation at six and it's almost four."

At that my eyes fly open.

"Four?!"

"Yep, you slept the day away, princess."

I sit up in bed and see Nick, dressed casually in jeans and a t-shirt, perched on his side of the bed. I rub my eyes sleepily. I can't believe I slept so much. I look down and my left hand and see the ring on my finger. Nick reaches over and takes it in his hand, kissing it softly.

"I need to call my dad," I blurt out. It's the first thing that comes to mind. I have to call him and let him know. And we have to call Denise and Paul, plus Demi and Joe. Which means we'll have to tell Kevin and Dani too, of course, and Jackson and his wife. And Lily. I groan at the thought.

As if he's reading my mind, Nick pats my shoulder gently, "Hey, it'll be easy. Just a quick 'we're engaged' then we'll give them thirty seconds each before we hang up."

"Nick!" I reprimand with a giggle, "That's terrible. We can't hang up on our friends and family."

"Okay, okay, we'll just politely tell them that we need to call more people so we can't talk."

"That's better," I tell him before getting out of bed and heading to the bathroom. Nick follows me as I pull out my tooth brush and toothpaste and get to brushing. That's the thing about sleeping in… it always makes my breath smell gross. Nick watches me the whole time which is kind of creepy, but I don't comment on it. I finish rinsing my mouth and turn to exit the bathroom.

"Well?" Nick asks, blocking me from leaving.

"Well what?" I ask confused.

"Well, now that you've brushed your teeth, I think you owe me something," he explains pointing to his lips. I shake my head at him, but press my lips against his. He sighs in contentment. "Very good."

"Okay, I'm going to call my dad," I announce, "Then we can call your parents, then Lilly then Joe and Demi and then Kev and Dani and then Jackson."

"Sounds good."

I grab the portable phone and dial the familiar number of my childhood home. It rings about three times before dad picks up.

"Hey bud," he says, "What's up?"

"Hi daddy," I say, "I just had some exciting news I wanted to share with you. "

There's silence on the other end for a moment. I'm sure he's wondering what I could possibly be calling him about. I love my dad, but we're not exactly phone people. I mean, I talk to him like once a week, but I just saw him yesterday so it's kind of unexpected.

"Nick and I are getting married!" I squeal unable to contain it any longer. Dad is silent again for a moment and for a split second I'm worried that he's upset.

"Took him long enough!" he finally cries and I laugh.

"He says it took you long enough," I report back to Nick who blushes.

"Oh Miles, I'm so happy for you two," he says sincerely, "I can't believe my little girl is growing up… it seems like just yesterday you were taking your first steps…"

Oh boy. Here we go. Time to cut him off… politely, of course.

"Listen dad, we still have to call Nick's parents and siblings and then I'm going to call Jackson, so I've got to go, okay? I'll call you later."

I think I hear him sniffling a bit before he says goodbye and hangs up. The phone call to Denise goes similarly except with Nick, of course. Lilly and Demi both freak out, Joe and Kevin and Dani send their good wishes to us and Jackson is the easiest out of all of them. Even though it doesn't take that long, I'm still exhausted when it's over. Telling people is definitely the most stressful part of getting engaged.

It's almost five by the time we're finished so I go to take a shower, seeing as we're going out to dinner soon and I haven't even done that yet. Once I get out and blow drying my hair I head straight for the guestroom where the majority of my nicer clothes are.

"Nick!" I call from the room, "Where are we going?" I have to know where we're going if I'm going to decide what I'm wearing.

Nick appears in the doorway, "I thought we'd try that fondue place. But if you'd rather go somewhere else I could call and try to get us a reservation somewhere else…"

"It's fine," I say with a smile, actually, I've been wanting to try this place for a while, but just never had the chance. I've heard it's really good. "Now go, I'm getting changed… you should too."

Nick shakes his head and leaves, leaving me to pick out a dress. I riffle though the racks before finding one that I bought before we went on tour without any real idea of where I would wear it. It's perfect.

I unzip it and pull it over my head. Then I realize I'm going to need help to get it zipped back up. I clutch the top to my chest and walk back into our bedroom.

"Nick!" I call and he steps out of the closet. Shirtless, I might add. My breath gets caught in my throat for a second and I try not to stare. I seriously debate just skipping dinner for a moment before ridding that thought from my mind. Definitely not appropriate.

"Zip me," I order as I turn around. He obediently comes over and reaches for the top of the dress to do the hook and eye clasp. I shiver when his warm hands come in contact with my skin. I'm facing the full length mirror so I can see his expression as he concentrates on zipping up the dress. Once he's done I adjust it and look at myself in the mirror. He looks at the mirror from behind me to see my dress.

His jaw literally drops, which sounds cliché, but I swear it happened. The strapless dress is cream colored lace at the bust and then black the rest of the way down. I catch Nick eyeing the high hemline and laugh to myself.

"I like it," he says placing his hands on my hips and pulling me back against his chest.

"I thought you would," I murmur leaning back to capture his lips with my own. I don't waste time sliding my tongue into his mouth and bringing one hand up to run through his hair.

"Mmm, we need to stop," he says softly, "Or we're never going to make it to the restaurant."

I giggle and we both go into the walk in closet. Nick puts his blue shirt on and tucks it into his pants and puts on a belt while I find a suitable pair of black pumps. I go to the bathroom and quickly sweep bronzer over my face and a touch of mascara to my eyes. Perfect.

By the time I leave the bathroom, Nick has his shoes on and his keys in his hand.

"Ready?" he asks and I nod as he leads us out of the penthouse. We hold hands the entire way to the restaurant and I admire the ring on my hand for the millionth time. I like how it looks. I like being engaged and even though it's kind of stupid, I like having a physical representation of our love.

When we get to the restaurant we're ushered to a small, private, U-shaped booth which is good because that means we can sit next to each other without leaving one whole side of the booth empty.

Dinner is nice. It's an intimate restaurant and the food is good. It feels nice to be back in LA and not have to worry about where I'm going to have to wake up tomorrow morning. Don't get me wrong, I love touring, but afterwards it's always nice to come home.

Also, the fact that we're celebrating our _engagement_ brings the mood up. We're both very flirty and giggly the whole time. It's like we're on our first date again and I definitely don't mind.

Finally, we're done dinner and the chocolate fondue dessert and Nick is signing the check so we can leave. Dinner was nice, but I'm in the mood for something else. After all, they do say chocolate is an aphrodisiac.

Somehow, the paparazzi were notified we were here so when we walk out of the restaurant they're ready and waiting with there little flashing bulbs. Nick clasps my hand protectively as he moves his way through them, not saying anything except polite 'excuse me's in response to their questions.

"Are Joe and Demi dating?"

"Is it true Nick cheated on you, Miley?"

"Nick, are you going to have another solo album?"

"Is it true Danielle is pregnant?"

I shake my head to myself at that last one. It's amazing the rumors that start, but it's also amazing how the paparazzi always seem to know the truth too (even if we deny it). I smile at the thought of Danielle having a little baby though. She'll be a good mom. And I'll be an aunt. Which is enough for me right now. Of course I want to have kids one day, but right now my career and my relationship with Nick are most important. But I'll definitely babysit. Seeing as the baby is coming from Danielle and Kevin, I'm sure it will be the sweetest, most polite baby ever.

"Is that an engagement ring?!?!" one of them yells suddenly and it seems like the flashes have increased by a tenfold. I look at Nick worriedly, but he just has a look of determination on his face. Luckily, we've made it to his car and he opens the door for me before getting in the other side. I try to hide my ring, but the effort is fruitless, they definitely saw it and took pictures.

Nick carefully navigates around the evasive people and finally we're on the road back to our apartment. I look over at Nick again and much to my surprise he bursts into laughter.

"Well, _that_ was interesting."

I laugh back at him, "Yeah, that's one way to let the world know we're engaged."

Nick shrugs, "I don't care if they know, do you?"

I'm surprised. Usually Nick cares so much about this kind of thing. But I guess with us it's different. We're not trying to hide our relationship. We know it's real and everyone else should be able to see it too.

"Nah, I want everyone to know I'm getting married to the one and only Nick Jonas," I tease.

He gives me a fake offended look, "So you're only using me for my name?"

"Obviously. It has nothing to do with the fact that I'm completely and utterly in love with you or anything."

"Good. Because I'm definitely not completely in love with you either and I don't plan on spending the rest of my life with you. I'm only marrying you for your hot body."

"Nick!"

"I'm only kidding, baby," he assures me with a laugh. After a few seconds I join in. Obviously I knew he was kidding. As the laughter subsides, we pull into the apartment complex and go inside and get into the elevator. Nick puts in his code and it starts to move.

"I wasn't kidding about your hot body though," he says in a much lower voice as he moves closer to me.

"Oh you weren't?"

"Mmm nope," he grabs me by my hips and pulls my body flush against his. My heart starts speeding up at the close contact. I'm about to open my mouth to make another smart comment when his lips suddenly cover mine and his tongue slides in. Everything I was about to say goes out the window as the elevator opens and Nick pushes us both into his apartment without breaking the kiss at all. All I'm noticing now is the way Nick smells and the way his hand is running up my thigh and under my dress.

Somehow he manages to navigate us to the bedroom although I have no idea how since his lips haven't left mine yet. I push his jacket off his shoulders and then undo his tie. His other hand moves behind me and unzips the dress (with one hand, impressive) and then he pulls it over my head. His clothes quickly follow mine to the floor and soon it's hard to tell where his body ends and where mine begins.

"I love you, Mi," he moans as the pleasure builds between us, I'm too far gone to say anything, but I think my body is doing enough talking. It builds and builds until both of us finally release, but we don't move a muscle.

"I love you," I say back to him when I finally catch my breath and he smiles before flipping me over and starting it all over again. I could definitely do this for the rest of my life.

**Nick's POV**

Miley lets out one last moan before rolling her sweaty body off my own and laying next to me in our bed.

I'm practically out of breath as I turn to look at the incredible woman next to me. She takes in a deep breath then exhales slowly, her chest rising and falling with the action.

Then she sits up and tries to swing her legs off the bed, but instead of letting her do that, I grab her by the waist and pull her back to my side.

"No."

"Nick," she says sternly (although she makes no effort to move, for the record), "We need to leave in about one hour. I need to take a shower and get ready. That means we're already going to be late."

"We could just skip it," I murmur kissing her bare shoulder and working my way up her neck, "I'm sure no one would miss us..."

"Nick," she slaps my stomach with the back of her hand, "Your mom is throwing an engagement party _for us_. I think people might notice if we're not there."

"Mmm," I say into her skin, "Can we just lay here a little longer?"

"No!" she yells but she's giggling too so I know she's not actually mad. She gets up and heads for the bathroom while I place my hands behind my head and just think about how good things are. Our official engagement was announced last week right after our engagement dinner and our run in with the paparazzi. Miley and I have literally been inseparable since. The paparazzi have been almost overbearing, but with Miley by my side it's all worth it.

Miley left the door to the bathroom ajar and I can hear her singing voice over the sound of the running water. I close my eyes and let her pure tones fill my ears. We're getting married. She's going to be mine. Forever. In front of our family and friends (and fans) we are going to become one in the eyes of God. My heart beats faster just at the thought. The water is cut short and a second later Miley walks out of the bathroom wrapped in a small towel with another one around her head.

"Your turn," is all she says before giving me a wink and going for our closet.

I don't want to get up but I do and head for the shower. I have to sort through all her girly things to find my shampoo but when I do I lather in on my hands and through my hair.

By the time I step out of the shower, Miley is already in front of the mirror, pinning her hair into some sort of up do. She's wearing a navy wrap dress that has a modest neck and hemline. She looks so mature. But I don't mind. I love her no matter what she's wearing. Actually it's kind of cute to see her all dressed up like that.

"Hurry up," she says with Bobby pins in her mouth, "We need to be out of here in 20 minutes if we're going to make it on time."

Like I'm the one who's going to take a long time to get ready. It takes me all of five minutes to put on my grey dress pants and white shirt. I pick out a navy blue tie (to match her dress, of course) and put that on too.

I bring my jacket out and hang it on the door before going back to the bathroom. Miley's hair is now up in a French twist and she's putting on her make up. I grab my gel and run it though my hair then use the blow dryer to get rid of the dampness. Miley's still putting on make up. Which is ridiculous because she doesn't need any of it.

I put on my dress shoes and then twiddle my thumbs waiting for her. I knew she would take longer than me when she was the one complaining that we were going to be late.

"Help me?" she asks coming out with a pearl necklace in her hands. I take it from her and hook it around her neck and leaving a kiss there too.

"You ready?" I ask as she slides on her silver shoes and grabs her matching clutch.

Her eyes trace around the room before she nods her head in confirmation.

The party, which is being hosted by my mom, is being held at one of the few Italian restaurants in LA that she approves of. She probably wishes she could've had it in her own house but it's just more convenient to have it here instead of Texas. Luckily our families were more than happy to fly out at short notice for this special moment.

The restaurant comes into view and we're barely 15 minutes late which is perfect timing if you ask me. Miley's lecturing me about my overactive sex drive making us late, but she was definitely the one who initiated it. Truth is, we can't keep our hands off each other.

"Okay," Miley says with a deep breath, "We can do this."

I look at her strangely, what is she talking about?

"Aren't you nervous?"

"Nervous?" I ask quizzically.

"We have to face our family and friends as an engaged couple! Everyone is going to be watching us and judging our relationship and debating behind our backs if we're going to last or be another Hollywood couple and I wouldn't put it past Jackson to take bets on when we'll get divorced and then-"

"Breathe!" I interrupt as her face starts turning red, "Listen, we're perfect together... You and I know that. And we know that this is real not just some Hollywood hookup and if everyone else can't see that, well, I say fuck 'em."

She looks at me shocked for a moment and then she starts laughing. It starts out as a chuckle, but soon turns into her loud, obnoxious, booming laugh. My face stretches out in a huge smile because I know that I've made her feel better about the situation.

"Thank you," she says when the laughs subside. She leans over the middle console of the car and pecks me on the lips. "I love you."

"Exactly. And I love you too, so can we get out of the car now and go in? We're twenty minutes late."

She rolls her eyes as I open the door, "Like you care."

I race around the car to open her door for her. "Of course I care."

"Yeah, okay," she replies sarcastically as she gets out. I grab her hand as we walk to the door of the restaurant.

The second we're inside (it's a fairly small restaurant so the whole place is ours for the night) a mass of people surrounds us. All my aunts and uncles are here as well as Miley's and it seems like they all want to hug us and then examine Miley's ring. After what feels like an hour of being introduced to Miley's entire family and introducing her to mine, Mom comes up and hugs Miley.

"Let me see!" she exclaims eagerly as Miley holds up her left hand. I don't know why she's acting like she's never seen it when she was there when I bought it.

"Oh, it's perfect," she gushes, "You know, I though it was too simple when I first saw it, but seeing it on you now, Nicholas was right, it suits you well."

Miley blushes and murmurs a small thank you.

"And you," she says turning to me and giving me a light smack over the head, "I can't believe you didn't tell me you were going to propose. What kind of son are you??"

I know she's only teasing so I give her that grin that has gotten me out of trouble since I was a baby. "It was a spontaneous thing, mom, and what matters is that it happened and now your favorite son is going to get married to the girl of his dreams."

To make my point, I situate myself behind Miley and wrap my arms around her waist while resting my chin on her shoulder.

Mom shakes her head, but she's clearly beaming. I think my favorite thing about Miley is how much my mom loves her. Sometimes I think she might love Miley more than me. But I can't really blame her, she is pretty amazing.

"If you need any help with the wedding, don't hesitate to call me," Mom says to Miley, holding her hands tightly, "I have all boys, I'll never have my own daughter to help do wedding things with... I know I can't replace your mom, but I'd love to be a stand in."

I can see the glassy look of tears in Miley's eyes as she quietly thanks my mom. Mom drops her hands and I instantly wrap her in a hug. In a moment she has her composure back.

Next Demi and Joe find their way over to us.

"Looks like I'm going to beat you, Joe," I say with a smirk, "Guess the whole age order thing doesn't apply here."

"Unless we decided to jet to Vegas tonight and get married," Joe jokes, earning a glare from both my mom and Demi.

"You wouldn't dare to that to me," Mom warns, "I want to be front row when each of my boys makes the commitment of a lifetime. Especially you, Joe. I'll have to see it to believe it."

Demi snickers at him, "Don't worry Mama J, I would never let him talk me into that."

"Good," mom nods in approval, "Now I have to go check on those hors d'oeuvres... The restaurant was supposed to have them out as soon as people got here, but I still don't see them... Excuse me, please."

She leaves our small group and goes over to talk to one of the waiters. The restaurant has been set up bistro style with the majority of the tables being pushed to the side to give everyone a chance to mill around. The food (when it finally comes out) will be served buffet style and there's no assigned seating. Very casual which is just what we wanted.

Just then Dani and Kevin wander in the door behind us. And Miley was complaining about us being late. Look at them.

"You're late," I say sternly, turning to my eldest brother.

"Sorry," Dani apologizes sweetly, "Apparently morning sickness isn't just for the morning anymore."

I was kidding, but now I feel bad.

"It's fine," I assure her, leaning in to give her a hello kiss on the cheek, "Even Miley and I were late."

"That was too much information," Joe says, greeting her in the same way I did while Miley and Demi follow.

"Congratulations," Miley says softly, her eyes going down to Dani's stomach. There's no sign of a baby bump yet, but we all know it's in there.

"Thanks... Congratulations to you, missy," Dani says with a bright smile, "Welcome to the Jonas family."

Miley's smile widens as does mine. Miley Jonas. Mrs. Nick Jonas. I sigh in my mind. God, I'm such a girl when it comes to Miley. If I was in high school, I'd probably be doodling her name all over my books. Pathetic.

"You should go sit down," Kevin suggests, his hand running over her stomach protectively.

"Nonsense," Dani waves him off, "I'm pregnant, not handicapped."

I chuckle to myself at their little argument. I'm sure I'll be just as protective of Miley when she's pregnant. I can't wait to have kids. I want to be a young dad. And I'd like to have a big family. At least three kids. That'd be perfect.

Eventually, Danielle humors Kevin and goes to sit down. Joe and Demi decide to join them and Miley and I head deeper into the restaurant to see what there is to eat.

Evidently, mom got through to the chef because there are all sorts of cheeses and crackers and other appetizers out. Miley and I both fill up our plates and then sit down at one of the tables.

"This is so weird," Miley says looking around the room.

I swallow my mouthful of food before replying, "What's weird?"

"Our families all here together... getting to know each other. It's weird... but good!" she adds quickly.

"Well, they're going to have to get used to each other," I tell her with a smile.

"Yeah, it's just... surreal. You know? This time last year, I had no idea that I'd be getting married anytime soon. I didn't even know who you were. Well, technically, I did, everyone does, but I didn't really know _you._"

I laugh at her mini-rant, but agree with her. I never knew I was the kind of guy who'd be in love like this. I mean, I'm a nice guy, I wasn't a player or anything, but I've definitely never ever felt the way I do with Miley. This is something on a whole new level.

The night ends pretty early and it's a blur of small talk about wedding plans (although we haven't even really discussed dates or anything yet) and meeting new people. It takes almost an hour to say goodbye and thank everyone for coming, but when it's finally over we head back to our apartment.

"I'm exhausted," Miley says with a yawn as we drive down the dark streets. I take my eyes off the street momentarily to look at her. She's beautiful. With her hair pinned back, I can see her full face. Her long eyelashes meet her cheeks as she struggles to keep her eyes open. It's not working though. In about two seconds, with the lull of the car and her exhaustion, she's out. I smile as her soft sleeping noises fill the car. She'll never admit it, but she definitely snores. It's not loud or anything. It's actually really soft and cute.

When I stop the car in my parking spot, I reach over to unbuckle her seat belt. I don't want to wake her up so I close the door softly when I get out to go to her side. I carefully detangle her from the belt and slide my hands under her knees and behind her back. She's light so it's easy to hoist her up into my arms from the car. I use my back to close the car door and thank God that my car locks itself.

She's light, but carrying anyone for a long time gets tiring. When I finally make it to our bed room I lay her down on the comforter. It's hard to believe she hasn't woken up yet, but then again she's a pretty heavy sleeper. I take off her shoes then debate whether or not to take off her dress. On one hand, I don't want her to think I was like taking advantage of her while she was asleep, but on the other hand she'll probably be annoyed if I let her sleep in her dress. Whatever, she's my fiance and she knows I would never disrespect her. I untie the dress and slip it off her shoulders before hanging it back up on the hanger it came from. Then I pull the covers down and tuck her in. Finally, I take my suit off and climb under the covers next to her. She's still out of it. I want to laugh, but I don't want to wake her up. I reach over for the lamp and turn of the light before settling into our bed.

"Nick?" I hear coming softly from next to me. Miley's voice is sleepy and tired and I can't quite tell if she's awake or if she's sleep talking.

"Yeah?" I whisper just in case she is sleep talking.

"Cuddle with me," she orders and this time I can't hold back my laugh. But I oblidge her and pull her into my arms.

"I love you," she says with a yawn and then burries her head into my chest.

"I love you too," I reply, placing a kiss on her head, but judging by her even breaths I think she's already asleep so I stay quiet and let her breathing lull me into sleep as well.


	7. Chapter 7

**Miley's POV**

"I don't want you to go," I whine playfully as I stretch out on top of Nick. There are no barriers between us and just a thin sheet protecting us from the world. It's almost four a.m. and we're still awake. Although, considering Nick didn't get home from the studio until past midnight, it hasn't been that long.

"I want you to come," he counters, sliding his hands under the sheets and down to my lower back. He starts tracing hearts onto my skin and I can't help the shivers that run though my body at his touch.

"You know I would if I could."

"I know," he says with a smile and then leans up to peck my lips. I bring my hands up to his thick curls and bury my fingers in them, massaging his head gently.

Tomorrow (or, technically, today) he's leaving for a small promotional tour on the East Coast. He'll be hitting the late night shows in New York and play at a few small venues. It's only five days, but somehow it seems like an incredibly long time to be without him.

"Mm, that feels nice," Nick murmurs as I start to press my lips against his neck.

"Oh yeah?" I whisper into his skin as I start to go lower, paying special attention to his defined collarbones, "I could make it better."

"Do it," he says in a demanding way, but with the way he's gasping for air, it's easy to tell that I'm the one in control, "Make it better."

I smile and then take my hands out of his hair and run them down his sides. His body is squirming beneath me. I love having him in this position, where I'm in control. My hands make it to his waist and I slowly trace my fingers against his v-cut hips, taking my time to get to what I know he wants.

"Mi," my nickname tumbles from his lips, "Mi, please."

I could torture him longer, but that would be cruel, and also I want this just as much as he does.

"Mi," he groans again as one of my hands work him up and down, "Don't stop..."

I look up at him and his eyes are closed tight. I bring my lips close to his ear and nibble on it gently.

"Looks like someone's ready for round two," I whisper into his ear. It's like a new fire has been lit inside of him when he hears that because he quickly grabs me and flips us over so he's on top. I know I said I like being in control, but it's kind of really hot when he is too. I think that's why our relationship works well, we're both willing to switch up the roles and neither of us needs full power all the time.

"You're so beautiful," he says, pinning me against the mattress with his hips and grinding against me. It's my turn to say his name now. His hands cup my face and kiss my forehead, then both my eyelids, then my nose, and finally me lips. He uses his tongue to part them, exploring the place that he's gotten to know very well after all the time we've spent together. He mimics my earlier actions on him, sliding hands down my sides, making me squirm underneath him. They slide down my thighs and he parts them gently, hitching one around his waist and then he's there, filling me and showing me how much he loves me.

"I love you," I say into his mouth and he grunts in response, which means I love you too in Nick-sex-noises, a language I've become very fluent in.

It feels like our hands are everywhere on each other. Even though we know each other very well, every time we're together it's like getting to know him all over again.

Suddenly his hands grip my hips tightly, almost so tight that it hurts, but mostly all I can feel is pleasure. I know that means he's close and I'm right behind him, about to cross the line.

When it's over, we're both breathing like we've run a marathon. I look at the clock and it's almost five in the morning.

"You have to get up in two hours, you should probably go to sleep," I say, rolling on my side and rubbing my foot against his leg.

"I can sleep on the plane, I want to stay awake and talk with you," he responds with a smile. I smile back at him and we start exchanging stories about our respective days. Nick rehearsed with his band at the studio while I had an interview with a radio station. I revel in the moment of togetherness so I can keep the feeling with me for the next five days without him. I mean, it's only five days, rights? I'm sure I can handle it.

Pathetic. That's what I am, completely pathetic.

It's been two days without Nick and all I've done is mope around the house and do nothing.

Okay, well maybe technically that's not true. The reason I couldn't go with Nick on his small promo tour on the East Coast is because I'm booked. I had a photo shoot with Vogue this morning and I have interviews tomorrow then I have a dress fitting for an award show the next day. Which are awesome and all but it would've been nice if I wasn't so busy and could've gone with Nick.

Even though I do have things keeping me busy, the second they're over, I'm back at home doing nothing. Which is what I'm doing now.

I already did all the laundry and ironed it. I cleaned the kitchen and did a little grocery shopping, I put new sheets on the bed, but I'm out of ideas now. I survey the room, trying to find something to do, but I can't think of anything. Then I hear my phone buzzing from the bedroom and I practically run to read the text message that's waiting for me.

**NICK: i miss you. i think i'm starting to forget what you look like :(**

I laugh out loud. One of the things getting me through the days is the fact that I know Nick misses me just as much as I miss him. Instead of responding with a message, I look in the mirror at myself. I'm wearing one of Nick's v-neck shirts (which is falling off my shoulder) and a pair of shorts. My hair is kind of messy, but it's not too bad. Then I pick up my phone and snap a picture of myself and send it to him. A few seconds later, it vibrates again.

**NICK: is that my shirt?**

I roll my eyes. He would ask that.

**MILEY: no, i decided to buy shirts in your size from now on :P**

The second I send that my phone starts ringing it my hand. I almost scream in surprise. It's not Nick though. It's actually Demi. Oh well, at least this will be something to do.

"Hey Dem, what's up?" I ask answering the phone.

"Are you home?" she asks frantically. I hear a car horn beep in the background.

"Yeah," I tell her, "Are you driving while on the phone?"

"Total emergency. I'm coming over. Now. See you in five," she says quickly before the line goes dead.

I look at the phone puzzled. What was that all about? Should I actually be worried or is this just typical Demi craziness? Oh well, I guess I'll find out soon enough. Then my phone vibrates again.

**NICK: oh, so it is mine. take it off… and then send another pic ;)**

What a typical male. Although truthfully I wouldn't be against _him _sending _me _a shirtless picture either. Unfortunately for him, I have company coming over. Also, sending pictures like that seems like a good way to land in the tabloids. I'm sure obsessive fans try to hack his phone all the time. But instead of lecturing him, I'll just cut him off.

**MILEY: sorry, babe. Demi's coming over. Call me later. Love you.**

I drop my phone onto the bed and then go to wait in the living room on one of the couches. Soon enough, the bell rings and I buzz Demi up into the penthouse. The second the elevator door opens she flies out with her huge black purse over one arm and a plastic bag clutched in the other.

She stops for a moment to catch her breath.

"Oh my God," she says, "Okay, so I'm on my way home from the studio and I have the radio on. They were doing that segment on like weird news or whatever and there was a story about this girl..."

Oh good. This doesn't seem like an actual emergency, just another one of Demi's whims.

"... So this girl. She's in the bathroom of McDonald's, right? And all of the sudden her stomach really hurts and she has no idea what's wrong and she's all in pain and moaning so they call an ambulance for her and guess what?"

"What?" I ask trying to keep a straight face. Demi seems totally serious though which does have me a little nervous.

"She was pregnant," Demi says solemnly, "She was pregnant and she didn't even know! Now her baby is bound to have complications and she probably doesn't know who the father is..."

Demi rants on about it for a little longer while I'm just thinking what the hell? How do you not know that you're pregnant? I mean I guess if you were like heavy set maybe you wouldn't notice. But there are symptoms and things that are a little hard to miss.

"... So I got us pregnancy tests," Demi finishes proudly, holding up the bag she brought in with her.

"Demi," I say trying to stifle a laugh, "The pill is like 98% effective. I think we're pretty safe."

"But it's not 100%," she insists, "Please just take it with me? For my own peace of mind?"

She looks so insistent. Oh well, what could it hurt? It's not like I bought the pregnancy test so it's no skin off my back or money out of my pocket.

"Fine," I say and Demi jumps up and down and thanks me. Then she opens up the box and reads the instructions and carefully explains them to me before giving me my own test.

I shake my head as I head towards Nick and I's bathroom. The things I do for friendship. Peeing on this little stick. After successfully doing that, I get up and head back to the living room. Demi is already sitting on the couch with her phone in her hand and her test on the coffee table. I put mine down too and then sit next to her.

She presses a button on her phone to start the timer and we sit in silence watching the numbers slowly climb.

"Oh, my God, I'm so nervous, hold my hand," she says grabbing onto me and squeezing the life out of my hand.

"Jeez, if you're acting like this now, I can only imagine what you'll be like when you actually might be pregnant," I tease her.

She laughs along, "Maybe this is good practice, right? Especially for you, missy," she says looking pointedly at my ring.

"Oh, no," I say blushing, "I definitely want to be a little older and preferably past the one year mark of being married. I hear that's the toughest year and a baby probably wouldn't help."

"Please, as if anything could split you and Nick up. He'd probably agree with you if you decided to get married tomorrow and then make a baby that night."

I laugh at Demi's comment and then her phone beeps. She gets up immediately and checks her little stick. She squints at it and then throws her fist in the air.

"Oh yeah!" she says doing a little dance, "I'm not pregnant! Woo!"

I laugh as she dances around the room and then look at my own stick so I can join in with her happy dancing.

Just as I thought there's a little... Wait. Is that a plus sign? No. It can't be. Or maybe this test is weird and that means you're not pregnant. There is definitely no way that I'm carrying a baby.

"Demi," I say sharply, causing her to stop in her tracks, "What is it supposed to look like if it's negative?"

"A minus sign," she says in a confused voice.

"So if it's a plus sign that means it's positive?"

"Well, yeah..."

"Oh," is all I can manage to say before sitting back down on the couch.

"Oh, my God! Miley!" Demi cries as her eyes open wide in shock and understanding. She comes over and sits next to me and takes the test from my hand.

"Oh, Miley," she says again as she reads it and then puts it back down.

Honestly, it hasn't really sunk in yet. I'm pregnant. There's a tiny... thing growing inside of me. I try to remember back to health class to figure out what it would look like now, but I have no idea. A baby. In me. That has parts of me and parts of Nick in it. Something that we made. Together. I smile at that thought.

"Yoo-hoo, Miley, are you okay?" Demi waves a hand in front of my face, "You just spaced out for like five minutes."

"Yeah, sorry," I take a deep breath, "I'm fine."

But then panic sets in. Oh shit. I'm pregnant. Before I'm married. What will people say? What will my dad say? He'll be so disappointed. Although I guess it's better than getting pregnant before we're even engaged. But now everyone will think it's just a shotgun wedding. Plus, I highly doubt Nick wants a baby at this time in his life. I sure as hell don't. Babies are a lot of work and responsibility. We'll have to make a lot of sacrifices in our time and work schedules. No more spontaneous date nights or going out to the clubs.

Also, I guess this ruins our wedding. Either we'll have to wait for this sucker to be born, or have a rushed wedding; because there is no way I'm going to be pregnant on my wedding day. So bye-bye to my fairytale wedding.

I don't even realize I'm crying until I hear Demi whisper, "Shh, don't cry, it's okay."

"It's not," I shake my head, but wipe away my tears, "It's not okay. I don't need this right now. I don't _want_ this right now. This is going to mess everything up."

"No it won't," Demi insists, "C'mon, Nick's gonna be thrilled."

"I can't tell Nick," I panic. He'll hate me. This will mean no more tours for a while, no more late nights out. He doesn't deserve that.

"Well, you're going to have to," Demi reasons, "I mean, he is your fiancé. And the father."

Even just the thought of telling him I'm pregnant makes me want to run to the bathroom and puke my guts out. Ugh. This isn't how my life was supposed to play out.

As if he knows, my cell phone starts playing his ringtone from the bedroom. I looked at Demi for a sign of what I should do, but she just shrugs.

I can't not pick up, then he'll just call the house and if I don't pick up that he'll get worried and start calling everyone to figure out where I am. So instead I take a deep breath. I'm a performer, I can do this.

"Tell him," Demi calls out as I go to the bedroom, but I shake my head before picking it up.

"Hey," I say calmly into the phone.

"Hey, baby," he replies and for a second his voice makes me weak. I want to just sob and tell him what happened, but I can't. Not yet.

"What's up?" he asks next.

"Not much," I lie, "Just hanging out with Demi."

"Oh well that sounds fun."

"Mmhm," I respond, "How's New York?"

"It's good," he sighs, "But I miss you, Mi. I wish you were here with me."

I almost melt over the phone at the sound of his soft, sad voice.

"I miss you, too," I whisper back, trying to hold back tears. Not just because I miss him, but because I'm sure I'm going to lose him.

"I'm sorry baby, I didn't mean to make you sad."

"I know," I smile over the phone, "I'm just getting emotional. It's stupid. It's not like I need you with me every second."

"It's not stupid," he contradicts me, "And _I _need you with me every second. But we can't do that so we deal with it. I love you and I never want to lose you."

Don't cry, Miley. Not while on the phone with him. Then he'll comfort me, which will make me feel guilty, and then he'll know something's up and I'll probably wind up spilling to him.

"Love you, too," I say quickly, successfully ruining the sweet moment between us, "But I gotta go, it's rude to keep Demi waiting like this, bye."

I hang up quickly, but not before I hear Nick yelling, "wait!"

I don't listen though and I head for the kitchen where Demi is ransacking my fridge.

"Why do you have two jars of peanut butter?" she asks me without even turning around to realize I'm there. That girl is good.

"Because I like chunky and Nick likes smooth," I explain. She takes her nose out of the fridge with the jar of smooth peanut butter in her hand.

"I'm with Nick. Chunky is gross. Joe likes it too and it's all he ever has at his place," she says and then takes a banana from the fruit bowl and peels it before smothering it in peanut butter. Only once she's begun to eat her snack does she acknowledge the phone call.

"So, did you tell him?" she asks, getting straight to the point. I shake my head and a look of disappointment crosses her face.

"Look, I'm not going to jump to conclusions," I say, taking a deep breath, "For all we know, that pregnancy test could be wrong. I haven't had any symptoms so it must be early in the pregnancy, if it even is one. There's no point in Nick getting all worked up over this if nothing's even wrong. I'm going to make an appointment with the doctor and get everything confirmed, and then I'll figure it out."

She just stares at me for a minute but finally she nods, "Okay. That makes sense. I still think you should tell him, but I understand where you're coming from."

"Thanks, Demi," I say, tears prickling my eyes in gratitude. She's a good friend, keeping this secret for me even though she's known Nick longer. I go on the other side of the island and wrap her into a hug. She hugs me back tightly and then pulls away.

"No problem, Miley," she says with her signature smile, "But I gotta go, Joe's expecting me."

I walk her to the elevator doors and push the button. It opens almost instantly.

"You're going to be okay, right?" Demi asks before getting in. I know she doesn't mean to, but her eyes look down to my stomach and I can't help but feel self-conscious.

"I'll be fine," I say with a fake laugh, "I told you, I'm going to take care of this."

Apparently I have her fooled because she goes in to give me another hug and says, "Call me!" before leaving. I let out a sigh of relief.

I pick up the house phone and call up my OB/GYN. Might as well get this over with. I talk briefly to the receptionist and set up an appointment for the morning of the day Nick is supposed to come back.

_I'm going to take care of this._

**I know what you're thinking: Oh great, here we go, another pregnancy story. But 1) they're not teens, so it's not going to be one of those BS stories and 2) it's me, i don't do things normally. I'm sure you guys will have questions and stuff & i'll try to do my best to answer them (if they won't give away too much), please contact me at my formpspring for them though. http:// formspring. me/l0veisrealx3  
Also, the not knowing you're pregnant thing is totally true, although I'm with Miley, how in the world would you not know you're pregnant?  
Review pleaseee. **


	8. Chapter 8

**Here ya gooo. Don't forget to follow me on twitter if you want to know what I'm up to and why I'm not updating. My twitter name is the same as my penname.

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Nick's POV

The second my plane hits the ground I have my phone in my hand turning on. I don't care if you're supposed to wait until the plane is stopped or whatever. As we're pulling into the terminal it's already ringing in my ear signaling that it's making a call.

"Yo," Joe answers after a few rings.

"I just landed, are you here?"

"Yep, little bro," he says, "Waiting for you in the parking lot."

I hang up as the pilot wishes us well and then finally lets us off the plane. I'm practically running to get down the escalator and into the parking lot. I briefly glance at the crowd of people at baggage claim and thank God that I only brought a carry on.

Five days. Five days away from my girl and I'm like a crazy person trying to get back to her. Unfortunately, I can't just be with her yet. If it were up to me I'd be taking her out to dinner and then spending some quality time together in our penthouse. But our lives aren't that easy. The record label wants me to stop by this small club to see a band play. They're thinking of signing them and they're hoping to generate interest by me being there. I had the genius idea of asking if Joe could come too, you know, two Jonas brothers are better than one. Sure Joe would've been mad but what they don't know is that while Joe is driving me, Miley is picking up Demi to meet us both here. The way I see it, it'll be even more publicity for this band. Or something. The point is I'll get to see Miley even if we can't be alone.

"Go faster!" I command as Joe pulls onto the highway.

"Dude, calm down, I'm already going over the speed limit. Besides, Miley and Demi aren't even planning on showing up until nine. We have plenty of time."

I groan and sink back into the seat. I really do need to calm down. See, this is why I can't be away from Miley that long. I get all worked up and anxious and it's not good for me or for the people around me.

I try to relax as we drive into the city and then to the club. It's around 8:45. Maybe we should've gone slower. Now I have to wait for her in the club which will just lead to more anxiety.

When we get out of the car, I adjust the fedora on my head and make sure my button down shirt is tucked into my jeans.

Joe rolls his eyes, "You look fine. Do you want to go to the bathroom and check your hair?"

I decide to be mature and ignore his teasing and head in the back entrance of the club.

"Want a beer?" Joe calls over the loud music. The band isn't on yet so instead there's a DJ playing music. It's not really a dance club, so the music is actually enjoyable for me.

"No thanks," I say back, craning my neck to see if Miley's coming in yet.

Joe comes back with his beer. Why is this taking so long? I look at my watch. It's nine. Where are they? Why are they late? What if something happened?

Then, as if on cue, there's a commotion at the door and a set of beautiful girls walk in, both dressed in black. Demi's in a strapless bubble hem number and the absolutely beautiful girl next to her is in a form-fitting long sleeve dress with a short hem and a modest neckline. Her hair is down and straightened, falling down over her shoulders. It almost hurts how bad I need to be near her.

Like magic, our eyes lock across the room. She looks tired, but completely stunning. Her face is makeup free except for some mascara and some red lipstick. It's so simple, yet so sexy that it blows my mind.

I start pushing through the crowd, my eyes never leaving hers. The second I'm there, I embrace her in a tight hug. When my hands meet bare skin, I realize that her dress is completely backless and dips down low, ending right before her perfect ass. It's official. She is trying to kill me.

"Hi, baby," I say, placing a kiss on her lips. I've barely gotten to talk to her in the past three days because we've both been busy. I even miss just hearing her voice. She hands me my keys and then wraps her arms around me again.

"Hey," she says back softly. She presses her face against my chest and it's so comfortable I just want to stay like this. But soon enough, Demi is pushing us apart.

"What, no hello for me?" she pouts playfully.

"Go say hi to your boyfriend," I tease back and that sends her off in the other direction. I look back down at Miley and I can't help but notice she looks worn out.

"Are you okay, Mi?" I whisper her into my ear and kiss her temple, "We can leave if you want to."

She shakes her head and puts on a smile, "I'm fine. I'm gonna go get a drink, okay? You go find somewhere for us to sit."

I watch her walk away from me and I sigh. Obviously there's something wrong, but I guess here isn't the place to talk about it anyway. I scan the room and notice and empty area with a few comfy chairs and a few side tables for drinks. Seems like a good spot to make camp. Almost the second I sit down, Joe and Demi pop out of nowhere and join me. Demi sits down on Joe's lap even though there of plenty of seats.

"Where's Miley?" Demi asks me.

"At the bar, getting a drink," I reply, looking over there to see if I can see her. When I look back at Demi and Joe, Demi is shaking her head and Joe looks confused. I wonder what that's about. Maybe they're having trouble in their relationship. I'll have to remember to talk to Joe about it.

Before I can think anymore of it, Miley comes and joins us. She has a cocktail glass in her hand and she comes over and sits in the chair next to me. Honestly I would've preferred that she sit in the seat with me, but whatever.

"So, how was your trip, Nick?" Demi asks me while I watch Miley.

"It was good, you know, the usual. It's good to be home though."

She's already halfway though her drink and she's barely had it for a minute. I hope she doesn't keep it up. This is supposed to be for work after all. We all make small chat for a while when finally the DJ announces that the band is about to go on. It's a small band, with only about four guys. The lead singer also plays guitar and they have a keyboardist alongside the usual bassist and drummer. They start playing and it's a rock sound, but with some definite pop beats thrown in. It's actually not that bad. Their lyrics could use some work, but frankly, that's easy compared to the music. I have to admit that it's got me tapping my feet.

"Let's dance!" Miley cries suddenly. I tear my eyes away from the band and I see her holding a new martini glass with a waiter walking away with an empty one. Demi and Joe get up to join the crowd that has formed in front of the small stage. Miley goes to get up, but I grab her wrist.

"I think you should leave that here, sweetie," I say gently and point to the glass.

"Fine," she says dismissively and then throws it back, swallowing most of it in one gulp.

"Impressive," I say dryly. She doesn't seem to notice my sarcasm because she just thanks me and then goes out to the floor. I sigh and follow her.

She comes up next to Joe and Demi and starts dancing in that crazy way that only she can pull off. There are a lot of people here though (I guess the band has a pretty good following already) so I touch her waist gently and pull her back to my chest.

"They're really good!" Demi shouts over the bass and Joe agrees. They start trying to move closer to the stage and Miley follows. Her hand latches around my wrist as she pulls me through the crowd.

We're almost at the front when Miley suddenly stops and says, "Oh, my God," before clamping her hand over her mouth. I look to see what she's looking at and then realize it's the lead singer.

"Oh, my God, I know him!" she shouts in surprise. As if the guy heard her he looks over in our direction. He looks just as shocked as she did.

"He used to be in my band for Hannah, but I lost touch with him after I left for school. I didn't even know he was still in LA!"

Something about her tone of voice and the way his eyes don't leave her makes me believe that they were more than just band mates. But considering she was dating Jake, they must've just been friends. And I have to admit this guy is good. He's good at guitar and he has nice vocals too.

"I'm gonna go get another drink!" Miley yells suddenly pulling away from me.

"Are you sure?" I ask, she already seems kind of tipsy, I mean she's a small girl, so she's a lightweight when it comes to drinking, "I don't think-"

It's funny how fast a person's mood can change. One second Miley's dancing and having fun and the next she's glaring at me.

"I can do what I want," she says fiercely, "I'm young and I deserve to have fun."

I watch her confused as she stomps away. Somehow it feels like I'm missing something. I know what's going to happen though. She's going to drink and then she'll get drunk and then she'll want to go home. Well, maybe I don't want that. Maybe I want to stay here. Maybe I want to listen to all the other bands that are playing tonight too, did she ever think of that? Great. Now I've gotten myself all worked up.

Oh well. Whatever. I'll be staying here. She can get Demi to bring her home or something. Or she can just wait. It's not really my problem.

The band we were supposed to watch's set is done and the guys shuffle off stage. The DJ starts up again as the crew starts getting it ready for the next band. Guess I better go introduce myself and stuff. I search around the crowded club looking for someone I know. I zone in on Miley's chestnut colored hair in the same group of seats that we were in before. But much to my surprise, she's not alone. Apparently she's already found the band and they're all sitting together. She's sitting next to the singer, the guy she recognized, and she's fisting another drink. Great.

"Nick," she cries enthusiastically when she sees me and then pats the empty space next to her on the loveseat.

"Guys," she says as I sit down, "This is my boyfriend, Nick. Nick this is Jack, Noah, Brett and lastly this is Jesse."

I reach out and shake all of their hands. It's kind of funny how they stare at me in awe. It's also funny how Miley introduces me so casually, but I like that she doesn't try to emphasize my name or anything.

"Dude, you're like a legend," the bassist, Jack, says, "It's great to meet you."

"You too," I respond genuinely, "You guys are pretty talented."

They exchange excited looks. I remember being like that too. So excited when anyone mentioned we were good. Actually, I still get like that. It's nice to know you're being appreciated.

We continue with some small talk until the keyboardist, Brett, mentions something interesting.

"You know, Jesse here used to play for Hannah Montana," he says with a smirk and all the guys give Jesse a look while he blushes and shakes his head. I look over at Miley to catch her eye and have a private joke, but instead I see her exchanging that look with Jesse. And then it hits me. He knows she is/was Hannah. Duh. Obviously, I should've known when he recognized her from on stage. Now I feel like an idiot. A jealous idiot. Which is stupid because it shouldn't matter that he knows. She knew him before me when she actually was Hannah. But before it felt like it was this secret between us and now it feels like someone else is in on it. And I like Jesse, I do, he seems cool and it's not like he's hitting on Miley or anything and he's a good musician too. I just need to calm down.

"Nicky," Miley asks suddenly, tugging on my arm gently, "Can you get me another cocktail?" She looks up at me with those big blue eyes and it's really hard to say no to her. There's obviously something up and I wish she'd just let me know instead of playing this stupid game. It's pretty obvious that the only time she gets drunk is when she's upset. But if she doesn't want to talk about it, I don't want to be an enabler.

I shake my head and she pouts but I shake it again. Then she turns to Jesse and I want to hit myself. Of course she's just going to ask him and she'll use that Miley charm and he'll just- yep, there he goes up to the bar with her empty glass in his hand. Even though I want to be annoyed at him the bigger part of me knows that it's all Miley.

Feeling annoyed in general, I get up to go find Joe and Demi. I'm sure (once they're done laughing at me) they'll have lots of advice.

"Where are you going?" Miley asks as I get up and I mumble something about Joe and Demi. She looks like she's going to say something but then Jesse appears with her drink and I get away while she's distracted.

The next band has started playing and I'm sure Joe and Demi are on the floor somewhere. I walk out trying to pin point their location but there's so many people out here I can't even find them. Then I see a flash of black hair and tanned skin. Demi. I know what you're thinking... How do I know it's Demi? Well I've known Demi for years, I just know these things. I push through the people to find her... with my brother's tongue down her throat. Great. Seriously, lovely, that's just what I wanted to see. I'd rather not interrupt; it's awkward enough as it is, so I push my way out of the crowd to the slightly less crowded back area.

I'm standing awkwardly alone when all of the sudden thin arms wrap around my waist tightly.

"Hi, Nick," she says, slightly slurred, looking up at me, "I'm drunk."

"I can see that."

She giggles as if I told a joke, "Let's go home." Her hands start moving below my waist. Be strong, Nick. You can do this.

"No, thanks," I reply coolly, trying not to look at her because I know I'll cave. Then she buries her head into my neck and starts kissing me. My eyes flutter close at the sensation. It's really hot, but at the same time it seems kind of sleazy like she's using sex to get what she wants. That thought sends a shudder (and not the good kind) through my body and I push her off of me.

"I want to stay and watch the bands. Go find Demi or someone and ask them to take you home."

I don't look at her until she's walking away. A small pang of guilt hits me, but I try to ignore it and watch the band in front of me. Their singing a soft slow song and the crowd is gently swaying to it. I try to focus on the music, but I can't. What if something happens to her? She's not trashed, but she's not exactly in the right frame of mind either. More guilt fills my mind. What if she leaves the club alone and gets lost? Or worse, what if someone bad finds her?

In a second, I'm frantically searching the whole room for her. Where is she? She's not by the bar and she's not back on the couches with the rest of the band so I start pushing through the dance floor looking for her. She's nowhere to be seen when I come across Joe and Demi. I grab Joe by the shoulder and he turns around with an angry look on his face until he realizes it's me.

"Have you seen Miley?" I call over the music. He shakes his head. Shit, shit, shit. Demi seems to notice me panicking and she places a reassuring hand on my shoulder.

"Want me to check the bathroom?" she asks. I nod quickly and then we all step off the floor. Demi goes to the back and I wait nervously for her return. Maybe Miley is in there. Maybe she's sick. Maybe I should go over and check... No, wait, here comes Demi and she's shaking her head.

"What happened?" she asks me. I knew she would. I put a hand on my head, tugging at my curls as I recall our mini fight. Demi looks worried too and I'm running through what to do in my head. Call the police? Ask more people around the club? I look around and my eyes fall on the band we watched earlier. Maybe they know what happened to her. I walk briskly over to their little seating area.

"Hey guys," I say trying not to sound too anxious. There's no reason to get anyone worked up or start rumors of a fight between us. "Have you seen Miley?"

They all exchange a look before Brett speaks up.

"Um yeah, she was pretty out of it and she wanted to go home so Jesse offered to drive her..."

Relief washes over me. She's safe. I know where she is. And then annoyance sets in. She asked Jesse to drive her home. What the hell? The guys must have noticed the look on my face because Jack interrupts my thoughts.

"Listen, man. Jesse knows you guys are in a relationship. He respects that. She just really wanted to leave and she said you wanted to stay. He's a good guy, I wouldn't worry about it."

But I am worrying about it. I smile though and thank them. Then I turn around to face Demi and Joe. Joe puts his hand on my shoulder.

"Nick..."

"I'm gonna go home," I say blowing them off and heading for the door.

"You have nothing to worry about, Nick!" Demi calls as they both follow me to the door.

I know they're going to badger me until I respond so before I leave a turn around.

"I know," I say with a weak smile, "But she's not feeling well and I shouldn't have blown her off so I'm just going to go home now so I can talk to her and take care of her."

This seems to satisfy both of them because I turn around and leave without a problem. I click the keys to find where Miley parked and locate the car without a problem. I get in quickly and then start driving home.

It was stupid of me to get mad at her. I realize that now. She's right, she's allowed to have fun and instead of being an asshole about it I should've been there for her. It's not like she's an alcoholic, she just wanted one fun night. Or I could have told her I didn't want to leave early before she started intoxicating herself. Anyway, I handled it wrong and I get that. So now I can go home and apologize and take care of her and then we can just cuddle a little. I would feel bad taking advantage of her in her state even if she is my fiancée.

I'm feeling a lot more relaxed as I pull into the driveway. Everything is going to be fine. I jump out of the car and practically run to the elevator. As soon as I make it up, I call out her name.

"Miley?"

But there's no response. I frown and head to the bedroom. I'm surprised her shoes aren't thrown around where ever she kicked them off. The bed's empty. Huh.

"Mi?" I try again and then go into the bathroom. But that's empty too. They left before me. She should be here by now. Where is she? The same panic from the club comes rushing back to me. I dig in my pockets looking for my phone and then quickly dial her number.

She doesn't pick up. Fuck. Where could she be? What if she's with Jesse somewhere? No, I can't think like that. Maybe they took a wrong turn or something. Or maybe Miley's having trouble giving him directions. Probably. She's terrible at that even when she's sober. I smile at the thought as I try her number again.

I look around the bathroom and see her towel on the floor instead of hung up so I pick it up and hang it. Her makeup is all over the counter still but I know better than to touch that. Although it may look like it's just thrown into the drawer she insists that it's organized. I chuckle to myself imagining her running around to get ready for tonight, knowing that she's late and not picking anything up because of that. Typical Miley. This is good, I just need to relax. The guys said Jesse is a good guy and if he wants to be signed, it would be pretty stupid of him to try anything especially with my girl. I've been with the label for years. The trash is overflowing too. Of course Miley wouldn't empty it. I bet the one in the kitchen is full too. As I head for it, I dial again and press the phone to my ear with my shoulder as I pull out the almost full bag and bring it back into the bathroom.

Voicemail. I sigh and take the smaller trashcan from the bathroom floor and tip it into the bag.

"Hi, it's Miley, I can't get the phone right now, but if you leave me your name, number, and a brief message I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Thank you, have a good day."

"Listen Miley, I know I made a mistake. I know you're out somewhere now, but I just want you to know that I'm at home waiting for you. I would love it if you could just send me a message letting me know you're-"

Then something in the trash catches my eye. I've never seen one in real life, but I know what it is.

"-okay," I finish distractedly and then hang up my phone. It's a pregnancy test. I dig it out of the trash and stare at it confused. Is this... Miley's? About a thousand thoughts come rushing into my mind but it's nothing compared to the million that join them when I turn it over and see the little plus sign.

Positive. But that means… But she didn't say anything... And she was drinking. You can't do that with a baby, right?

Anger flares up in me. She put our baby in danger. And she didn't even bother to tell me. This is our life, not just hers. _Unless it's not yours_ that stupid voice in the back of my head tells me. That's stupid though, right? She wouldn't cheat. Then again, I didn't think she wouldn't tell me she was pregnant either. Or that she would do something as stupid as drink.

I dial again and again and again as if the faster I dial, the more likely it is she'll pick up. After about ten more calls I give up, throwing my phone onto the bed.

I don't know what to do. Should I call someone? Maybe Demi knows something. Then again, she probably wouldn't tell me. Girl code or some other BS. I start tugging at my hair. Maybe I should try going to look for her. Then, finally, my phone rings. It's Miley.

Okay, stay calm, Nick. You might be angry but you don't want to scare her. You just need her to come home and then you guys can talk this one out. She has to have some sort of reason even if you can't figure it out yet.

"Hello?" I say as calmly as possible.

"Um, hi, Nick?" the voice on the other end says. It's not Miley. It's a male's voice. _Jesse _my mind registers.

"Where's Miley?" I demand.

"Um, well I offered to drive her home, but obviously I don't know where you guys live... So I asked her for directions, but she didn't take me to her house. We're at some beach in like the middle of nowhere... It's like a few miles from-"

The beach. Of course she'd go there if she's upset.

"I know where it is," I cut him off. I grab my keys and head out the door, "I'm on my way now. How is she?" I ask, not only concerned for her, but for the baby.

"Drunk," he answers honestly with a humorless chuckle, "She's blabbering away to herself, but other than that she's fine. I swear nothing happened to her."

"Thanks, man. I'll be there ASAP," I tell him as I get in the car and start it. We both hang up and I'm left alone with my thoughts.

A baby. On one hand, it makes me smile. A little baby that's just ours. But the happy thoughts are overshadowed by the fact that she didn't tell me. I shouldn't jump to conclusions though. We've both done that too many times in our relationship and it's always been a misunderstanding.

It seems like it's been ten years before I get to the beach. There's a car there which I assume is Jesse's and I park behind it. I get out and head down the familiar path.

Jesse is standing close to the entrance to the beach, his hand in his short brown hair. Miley is dancing around and it looks like she's singing to herself.

"Hey, man," I mutter coming up next to the guitarist.

He looks relieved to see me, "Hey... I'm sorry dude, she told me this was the way to her house and then she told me to pull over… I thought she was gonna be sick but she just jumped out of the car when we got here..."

"It's cool," I say to him. He seems like a nice guy and it's too bad he got sucked into our stupid fight. "This is kind of our place... We both tend to come here when we're upset and need each other. I shouldn't have let her leave."

He doesn't say anything back, but I can tell he agrees.

"You can go now," I offer him a way out, "I can handle it from here."

He nods, "You know, all she did the whole way here was talk about you and about how you're getting married. She really loves you."

"Thanks... And good luck with the music thing."

"Thanks," he says with a smile and then leaves the beach.

I sigh and then walk over to where Miley has now plopped herself down in the sand and is picking it up and letting it run through her fingers.

"Mi?" I ask softly from behind her. She turns around and her eyes light up like a child's would.

"Nicky!" she gets up quickly and doesn't hesitate to throw her arms around me, "I thought you were mad at me!"

I struggle to stay upright as she throws herself against me. I awkwardly wrap an arm around her.

I don't make a comment about being mad at her, but she doesn't seem to notice.

When she finally pulls away, I can't help but look at her stomach. She doesn't seem pregnant, her stomach is as flat as ever. But then again, what do I know? I have no idea how long it takes for the baby to show. I don't know anything about babies.

I want to ask her. I want to ask her so badly. But at the same time I know that asking her now would be stupid and pointless.

"Let's go home," I tell her and then grab her hand in case she tries to run.

"Noo, let's stay here," she laughs loudly and pulls her hand out of my grip. She runs a little ways away from me on the beach.

"Come back here, Miley," I call sternly, hoping that she'll listen to me, but knowing that she won't.

"Come catch me, Nick!" she calls with another laugh. It's so infectious, I just want to play along with her and pretend everything's fine even though I know she's keeping a huge secret from me.

So I chase after her and she squeals running away to the edge of the water, kicking her feet in the few inches that wash up on the shoreline.

I still have shoes and socks on and she taunts me sticking out her tongue and saying things like, "You can't catch me!"

I quickly kick off my shoes and peel off my socks and roll up my jeans and then take off after her. She screams and laughs as I catch her around the waist and spin her around.

"I got you!" I shout back and her while she tries to get out of my grip. But I pull her back against my chest and hold onto her tightly. "Now let's go home okay?"

She nods and we walk back up to where the water can't reach. After I put my shoes back on (I have no idea where hers are) she indicates that she wants a piggy back ride. I oblige and let her jump on my back.

Her head rests against my back and just the weight of her makes me feel safe and secure. When we get to the car, I put her carefully in her seat and close the door.

It's quiet as I start driving. I can tell Miley's about a second away from passing out by the way her head keeps dipping down towards her  
chest.

"Nick?" she whispers suddenly.

"Mmhmm?"

"I love you," she murmurs before passing out against the window. She looks so innocent, but the one hand resting on her stomach as she sleeps reminds me of the positive pregnancy test I found. I sigh quietly so I don't wake her up.  
_  
What am I going to do with her?_

**Poor Nick. What a confused boy he is right now. Which I'm sure you saw by how bipolar he seemed this chapter. To answer questions I know will be asked, yes, Jesse will play a part in upcoming chapters. He'll definitely be adding some drama. Mikayla will also be showing up soon. Next chapter is in Miley's POV and we'll find out about her trip to the obstetrician. Review pleaseee. **


	9. Chapter 9

**Just a friendly reminder: you can review even if you don't have a FF account :)**

**Miley's POV**

When I wake up the first thing I notice is my head pounding and the fact that it feels like there are weights on my eyelids preventing them from opening. It's been a while since I've felt a hangover like this and as usual, I'm wondering why I thought it'd be worth it. On the other hand though, I don't feel nauseous which is a definite plus.

I groan and roll over and then force my lids open. I smile at what I see on the bedside table. An aspirin and a tall glass of ice water. Nick. I vaguely remember him bringing me home last night. What a sweetheart. I reach behind me, but I don't feel him there. He's probably up already and didn't want to wake me up.

I reach out for the medicine and water and down both in a short period of time. It's probably just my imagination, but my head already feels a little bit better. Then the smell of coffee brewing hits my nostrils. Mm coffee. That sounds amazing right now, but should I risk getting up? Pro: delicious coffee which will help sooth my hangover; Con: splitting headache and nausea. I finally decide to get up and look down and realize I'm still in my dress from last night so I pull it off and put my silky bathrobe on instead. Surprisingly it doesn't feel that bad to get up except the normal rush of blood.

I walk slowly into the kitchen where the smell of coffee gets stronger. My mouth is practically watering for a taste of it. Nick is leaning against the counter reading the newspaper and doesn't even seem to notice I've walked in. First things first though, I go over to the coffee pot and pour myself a cup. Nick has even gotten out the milk and sugar for me and left it on the counter. And I thought he was mad at me for last night.

Once I get my coffee ready I slide up next to Nick who's still staring at the paper.

"Hey, baby," I say quietly, "Thank you."

He nods, "How are you feeling?"

"Fine," I reply, only partially lying. I mean he did all this nice stuff for me so it would be kind of rude to tell him I still feel out of it.

"Good," he says folding his newspaper and putting it on the counter, "So maybe you can explain this to me?"

He pushes something into my view on the counter and it takes me a second to realize what it is. When I finally do, my blood runs cold in my veins. It's my positive pregnancy test.

"You looked through my trash?" I ask, immediately taking the defensive. I mean seriously, what the fuck? Paranoid, much?

"No," he says through clenched teeth, "Last night when I came home, it was overflowing so I thought I'd empty it."

"Well, you shouldn't have bothered," I snapped, snatching the test off the counter and chucking it into the trash can in the kitchen.

"Hey!" Nick says loudly, just one step away from actually yelling, "Maybe I wanted to save that as a memento for our baby."

"There's no baby, I'm not pregnant," I say quietly, trying to keep my voice from cracking.

He looks at me confused then glances back at the trashcan. I can practically see the gears turning in his head. His eyes narrow at me.

"You didn't," he says coldly, backing away from me as if I'm disgusting.

It takes me a moment to realize what he's implying, but when I do I flinch at the thought of it. I wasn't feeling nauseous before, but now I am.

"Tell me you didn't," he insists, still keeping his distance from me. He might think he's angry, but it's nothing compared to how angry I am.

It's my body and my decision. The baby might have had some of Nick's DNA in it, but in the end I'm the one who has to deal with the physical aspects of carrying a baby. Personally, I think he should support whatever decision I make.

"Say you didn't!" he insists again, his voice straining as he says it.

I just stare at him in disbelief. But behind the anger, I see someone else. Pain. And once I realize it, it breaks my heart. I don't want to hurt him and I don't want to hurt either.

"I'm not pregnant," I say again. I don't know how I sound so calm.

This time he moves closer to me and puts a hand on either of my shoulders.

"Tell me you didn't have an- an-" he stutters unable to finish.

My eyes fill with tears and my mouth feels like it's glued shut. I can't speak, but I don't know why. It's like even though I see him in pain and want to fix it, my body won't let me.

He looks at me intently. Even through the anger and pain, he's still the man I'm in love with. I reach out and wrap my arms around him and press my body close to his. He stiffens for a second, but then holds onto me back.

"I didn't," I whisper into his chest, but he still hears me. He holds me for a while and I bite my lip trying to prevent the tears from falling. Once I've composed myself, I recall what happened just a day ago.

**FLASHBACK**

_I walked into the OB/GYN officer in baggy light grey sweatpants and a black sweatshirt with the hood pulled over my messy hair. I didn't really want anyone to recognize me even though if they did I could just say it was an annual visit or something. I just wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone._

I checked in and then sat down on one of the rough seats in the waiting room. I could feel the rough material of the seat through my pants. The only other occupants of the office this early in the morning were an elderly lady and a man with a very pregnant looking woman. They held hands and giggled. Every so often he would put his hand on her bulging stomach and feel it kick. I couldn't help but watch them as the minutes passed slowly. Soon the elderly woman was called back and I settled into my seat, just waiting for my turn.

I looked back over at the couple in the corner who had just exchanged a kiss. Maybe Nick would be like that. Excited for the baby. Maybe it could somehow bring us closer. Then I thought about how our careers would change and how it would affect our engagement and I started feeling panicky again.

The couple was called back next and I was all alone. But soon I would be taken back and getting a blood test which would determine my fate. I'm not normally squeamish but I had a feeling I would have a little trouble this time.

Then I felt something odd. A warmth between my legs. And not the sexual kind. The getting-your-period kind.

"Excuse me? Where's your bathroom?" I asked quickly getting up and the woman at the front desk pointed me to it.

I quickly walked in (it was the single toilet kind of bathroom) and yanked my pants down. There on my pale green underwear was a wet red splotch. Blood. But I'm pregnant I thought. Is this normal? I suddenly felt very weak and sick. Something was definitely wrong and I knew I needed to get to the doctor. I quickly pulled my pants back up and turned the knob, but before I could step out, a wave of dizziness came over me and it felt like a curtain was drawn over my eyes. That's the last thing I remember…

…Until I woke up laying down on an examination table. I made a move to get up but then I was interrupted.

"No, don't move," the doctor, Dr. Smith, said quickly, "Just lay down for a little bit more and then you can slowly get up."

"What happened?" I asked groggily, bringing my hand up to my head which was still a bit fuzzy.

"You passed out," she said gently and then it all came back to me.

"I'm bleeding!" I said quickly and then sat up slowly like the doctor told me.

"I know," the doctor said grimly and I looked down to see the reddish brown stain on my light sweatpants. I blushed in embarrassment.

"It's okay, we can give you a pair of scrubs to change into before you leave," she said kindly, "Now, your chart here says you were scheduled to have blood work done because you took a home pregnancy test that turned out positive."

I nod to indicate what she said is true.

"Can you tell me how long ago you missed your period?"

"Honestly, I didn't even notice I missed it. I thought I was just late. It's happened before. My friend was paranoid about this story she heard and wanted us both to take one," I confessed.

"Hmm..." the doctor said and wrote something down in my chart.

"Is there something wrong with my baby?" I asked worriedly, touching my stomach gently. I may not want this baby but I would never ever want it to be hurt or in distress. Whatever it takes to take care of it I'll do it. I'll swallow horse pills, switch to a weird diet, do strange exercises. This is my baby and I'd protect it with my life. The strange sense of maternal instinct was strong and exhilarating. I've never felt so attached to anything, not even Nick or my family.

"Miley," Dr. Smith said softly, reaching out to grab my hand, "I think you've experienced a chemical pregnancy."

A what_ pregnancy? She looked at me with so much concern that I knew it must be something really bad. Then, she sensed my confusion and finally explained it._

"Most women don't even realize it. They're fairly common; almost half of first pregnancies result in one. If you hadn't taken the pregnancy test you probably would've just assumed that your period was late," she explained, but I was still confused so she looked at me grimly and said, "It's basically a miscarriage extremely early in the pregnancy."

**END FLASHBACK**

When I finish, Nick just holds me tighter. Part of me wants to cry, but at the same time I don't want to make a big deal over it. This is a good thing. I don't want a baby. So why does it feel like there's a hole in my heart?

"Baby, I'm sorry," he whispers, putting a hand on the back of my head. His voice sounds broken but it only encourages me to stay strong.

"It's not a big deal," I lie, brushing it off, "It's not like I had time to get attached. The doctor said that most women probably wouldn't even have noticed. Demi just made me take the stupid test because of this thing she heard on the radio."

He pulls away from me slightly so he can see my face. This is the ultimate test. I put a smile on and try to look innocent.

I think he can tell that I'm not being completely honest so I do the one thing I know will distract him. I lean forward and connect my lips to his. Before he has a chance to react I slide my hands underneath his t-shirt and rub his chest.

"I missed you so much," I whisper seductively into his ear and then run my tongue across the shell.

I can feel him shiver against me and his hands slide to my hips and pull me closer. I got him right where I want him.

He tilts his head so that our lips connect again. His tongue quickly invades my mouth and his hands slide down to my butt and squeeze it. I jump up, wrapping my legs around him and in the heat of the moment, I forget that I'm trying to distract him and get distracted myself.

He carries me into the bedroom and by the time I hit the bed, my mind is empty except the pleasure Nick is bestowing on me as he sucks on my neck. My last rational thought before giving in completely is "I'm in love this man".

A few hours later I open my eyes to see Nick on the pillow next to me. He's awake, but just barely, and he's staring at me with so much love in his eyes, it melts my heart.

"Hi," I whisper softly. He looks so adorable with his curls all mused up against the pillow.

"Hi," he says back and then leans in to connect our lips. I pull the sheet close to my chest.

"I love you."

"I love you too, Mi," he says back, reaching up to push a lock of hair behind my ear. When he finishes he slides his hand down to cup my cheek. "That's why I don't want to be apart from you anymore."

I look at him confused. What is he saying?

"At least, for a while," he clarifies, "I've been thinking about asking the label to give me some local artists to work with so that I can stay in the area for a while. Take a break from my own music and touring for a while."

Even though I'm secretly happy, I wouldn't want him to do something he doesn't want to so I frown.

"Are you sure this is what you want?"

"What I want is to spend time with you," he says quietly and then reaches for my left hand, "Especially while we plan our wedding." He kisses my ring finger right under my ring.

I smile at that thought and I'm about to lean in and kiss his lips when the alarm on his phone goes off. He groans and rolls over to check it.

"Shit!" he says when he reads it and jumps up. I sit up in the bed and watch amusedly as he runs around the room looking for clothes to put on. Nice pants and a button down shirt. In the middle of the afternoon. I'm going to guess it's a business meeting.

"I completely forgot about my post-tour meeting at the record label," he explains once he's ready, "I have to go, but I'm going to ask to stay here for a while and I'll be back as soon as possible."

"Okay, I'll be waiting here for you," I say and lean back against the pillows in our bed.

His gapes at me, "That's really not fair, Mi."

"Life isn't fair."

"Good one," he rolls his eyes, "I love you, and I'll see you later."

"Love you!" I call back as he leaves the penthouse. It's just me now. Alone. With my thoughts.

Ugh. I have to get up and do something. I get dressed and go into the kitchen and clear both our coffee mugs from the counter. The rest of the kitchen is pretty spotless. Maybe I could bake a cake or something. Although, I'd probably mess it up somehow so maybe that's not the best idea.

I walk around the kitchen aimlessly, opening the fridge a few times, but nothing catches my eye. I don't need to go food shopping; I already did that before Nick got home. The dishwasher is emptied. I didn't really need to use it when it was just me here.

Then something does catch my eye. The trashcan. I look around as if I'm doing something wrong even though there's nothing wrong with this, right? In the bottom of the white back lays my pregnancy test, the positive sign looking like an X from this angle. Shifting my eyes again, I reach in and pull it out.

I sigh. I wonder if it was a boy or a girl. Or wait… I don't think you can figure that out until later in a pregnancy. I look down at my stomach. I know the doctor said this was pretty normal, but what if there's something wrong with me? What if I can't have kids? What will Nick say? Will he leave me? I need to stop panicking. I take a deep breath and then let it out. I need to put this behind me. I throw the pregnancy test out again.

But once I do a feeling of sadness sets over me and I suddenly feel so tired. I crawl back into bed and try to fall asleep. But I can't. And I don't know why.

Time seems to past fast and slow at the same time. Soon enough Nick comes home. I think it might be early evening, but the clock is on Nick's side of the bed so I'm unsure.

"Mi?" he calls out as he enters the house. I don't know why, but for some reason I just don't feel like talking to him right now.

"Miley? You home?" he calls out again jokingly. This time he sounds closer to the bedroom. I close my eyes and pretend I'm a sleep.

"Oh," he says softly to himself when he walks in and sees me in bed. The scent of Chinese food invades the room, but despite the fact I haven't eaten all day, I don't feel hungry. He comes over to my side of the bed and places a gently kiss on my temple. Then he leaves the room and I'm alone with my thoughts again.

**:( Sad. So much confusion. Just wanted to clarify a few things. 1) in real life a pregnancy test shouldn't be read after about ten minutes from when you first get the result (of course Nick wouldn't know that though). And 2) a chemical pregnancy is a miscarriage, but it's very, very early in the pregnancy. Most women think they've gotten a "false positive" but there really was fertilization, many people just don't realize it. I want to call it "less of a big deal" than a miscarriage that happens later in the term, but that seems a bit insensitive, but you get what I'm saying, right? **

**Miley's feeling a bit confused this chapter too. But I promise it all comes together within the next chapter or so. I'm not the kind of person who drags things out. I'm too impatient for that haha hope you enjoyed it. Review please!**

**Oh! And thanks for the NJK Award nominations… I really appreciate it! **


	10. Chapter 10

**I actually have no excuse why it's been so long. But here ya go.**

**Nick's POV**

The doors open to the elevator into the penthouse and I look around the open space hopefully.

And I'm disappointed.

Don't get me wrong, everything is spotless, almost OCD spotless, and I can smell something cooking, but what's missing is something more than that. Miley. She's not in the living room watching TV or singing loudly in the kitchen. She's not even running around doing laundry or something.

I make our way to our bedroom and there she is. It's been like this almost every day when I get home from work for the past three weeks. Ever since she told me about the baby.

She's cuddled up against the sheets and even though I can't see her face, I know she's awake.

"Hey, Mi," I say quietly and then make my way over to her side of the bed and sit down next to her, "How are you feeling?"

"Fine," she says, staring blankly at the wall. Her eyes flicker to me for a second. "I made dinner. It's in the oven so it stays warm. I wasn't sure when you were going to be home."

"You're not going to eat?" I ask even though I know the answer already. It's always "I'm not hungry" or "I ate a big lunch" or "I'll come in a minute" (which she never does).

"I'm not that hungry," she says and stares back at the wall. I get up and try to hide my disappointment. I know that she's grieving and I need to let her do it at her own pace. If I push her it will only hurt her in the long run.

I head over towards the kitchen and open the oven. It's on a low setting just to keep warm so I reach in and grasp the plate covered in tin foil. Then I peel it back. NY strip with mashed potatoes. My favorite. But somehow it's not as good when I'm alone at the dinner table.

I eat slowly in complete silence. I don't know what to do about Miley. Should I seek medical help? Does she need some sort of anti-depressants? Or is this just a phase? Will it end soon? Every day I hope that I'll walk in and hear her singing and dancing around the house while she does whatever chores she thinks she needs to do. Or walk in and find the kitchen a mess because she's trying to make dinner and can't handle everything at once. But more and more that hope is dying.

Once I finish dinner, I clean my plate and then empty the clean dishwasher that Miley obviously turned on earlier. It's the least I can do for her. It seems like these simple household chores are the only thing she does any more. Her publicist told me that she's been declining all magazine cover offers and she hasn't talked about a second CD or anything even though I know the company would love it. More and more I'm becoming frustrated.

Once I finish in the kitchen, there isn't much to do. As much as I'd like to go talk to Miley, every day that I've tried to, it just ends up being an awkward one sided conversation with only a few head nods or "Mmhm"s from her. So instead I go into the living room and turn the TV to some baseball game. I can't help but miss Miley curled up next to me asking endless questions about the game and begging me to switch to MTV in between plays.

When the game is over I go back to our bedroom. Miley is just where I left her but now she's snoring softly. At least she sleeps peacefully.

I take off my clothes, leaving me in my boxers and then climb into bed. I turn so that I'm facing her back. More than anything, I want to reach out and touch her and pull her close to me. We've barely had physical contact since she's been like this. For a moment I imagine shifting closer to her and wrapping my hands around her waist, making my body curl to mimic hers, but I don't. Instead I turn and face the other way and try to get a good night's sleep.

"Nick!" Kevin calls the next day at work, "You there?"

"Yeah, sorry," I say shaking my head, "Just have a lot on my mind."

"It's okay," Kevin says kindly, "I was just asking which drum track you thought sounded better with this song?"

He plays the two samples again and this time I listen carefully.

"I think the second one sounds better," I conclude, "There's a heavy baseline so the drums can be toned down a bit."

"Yeah, I agree," Kevin says and goes back to mixing the track. Like I told Miley, I asked the company to let me stay here in the studio while Miley and I begin to plan our wedding. Considering she barely talks anymore, we haven't been doing that, but I have been working with Kevin. And soon Mikayla will be back in the studio and I'm the lucky one who gets to work with her.

"So what's on your mind?" Kevin asks me while he fiddles with different levels on the computer.

"Miley," I sigh, "She's just so bummed out over her miscarriage. I'm trying to just let her work through it herself, but I think she might need some professional help. I don't think I've seen her out of bed at all in the past few weeks. I just don't know what to do to make it better."

"I feel you, man," Kevin shakes his head, "Dani is still having some morning sickness and she's just so tired all the time. Plus she says she's starting to feel fat."

"Well, Demi and I are doing great," Joe interrupts from the door. I'm not sure how long he's been there spying, but obviously he's heard enough.

"What are you even doing here?" I ask him, annoyed because he's in a good mood while I'm not.

"Ouch, Nick," Joe exaggerates, clutching his heart, "No need to be hostile because you're not getting any while I just dropped by the studio to have a little afternoon delight with De-."

"Stop, now," Kevin says putting up a hand, "I really don't want to know. But seriously, Joe... what are you doing here in this studio?"

"Well, since I'm in such a good mood, I thought I'd come take my brothers out to lunch, my treat."

I try to shake my head subtly at Kevin but unfortunately he doesn't notice.

"That sounds good..." he says instead, "I need a break anyway. All these tracks are starting to sound the same."

"Cool," Joe says twirling his keys around his fingers, "I'll drive and then drop you guys off back here."

"Okay," Kevin agrees, and he gets up leaving me to follow them. They discuss where they want to go and what they're in the mood for while I just follow. When we get to Joe's car, Kevin jumps in the passenger seat.

"Hey!" I cry indignantly, "Why do I have to sit in the back? I'm taller than both of you."

"And you're also younger than both of us," Kevin retorts. I grumble and get in the back. It's so tight that my knees are practically in my mouth. I don't want to be here. I'd rather just be working.

When we get to the restaurant the two of them picked we're lead to a booth. Joe and Kevin take a seat on one side and I sit alone on the other.

The waiter comes and takes our drink order and leaves us to mull over the menu. It's an American food restaurant. Should have known. But they do make good burgers so I decide to order that.

The waiter comes back with our drinks and then takes our orders and collects the menus. When he's walked away, Joe turns to look at me.

"So how's Miley?" he asks. But it's not his annoying making-fun-of-me voice, it's his concerned brother voice.

I sigh, "She's been taking the loss pretty hard."

"And how are you taking the loss?" Joe probes. Sometimes it amazes me how good of a listener and advice giver Joe can be. I mean, he's still an idiot 90% of the time, but he does know how to make me see things differently.

"I don't know," I sigh again, "I didn't even know about it for 24 hours. I mean, I'm sad, but it's not like I was hoping for it to happen and then was let down. I mean, yes, I want to have kids when we're married, but now wouldn't really be the best timing."

"That's what Miley thought at first too," Joe thinks out loud, "which is what makes it weirder that she's so sad now."

"More like depressed," I say sadly.

"Well, you know, Dani got me this book about being a father," Kevin pauses to give Joe a chance to scoff as we all knew he would, "And it says that a woman becomes a mother as soon as she knows she's pregnant, but a man doesn't become a father until he sees the baby."

We all take a moment to let that absorb in.

"Anyway," Joe continues, "What I wanted to bring it up is that you're obviously not happy. And since it doesn't seem to be about the baby, it's obviously about Miley. And you need to tell her she needs to stop."

I give him an incredulous look, "Do you _want_ me to upset her? I can't just be like 'hey, Mi, you need to stop feeling sad'."

"Listen, after that whole, um, incident and after Demi and I got back together, we made a deal with each other. Whenever one of us is doing something the other doesn't like or something that upsets us, we just say it. That way, we're not harboring up anger or holding grudges that in the long term could be damaging to our relationship."

Kevin and I both look at him in shock. Did something that deep really just come out of his mouth?

"It was mostly Demi's idea," Joe admits, "But it works. She tells me when I'm acting like an idiot and I tell her when she's being unreasonable."

"So you want me to tell Miley that she needs to stop grieving?" I ask skeptically.

"No, I'm saying that you have to tell her how you feel about her acting this way."

"You know, Joe could have a point," Kevin says slowly, "Damn. I can't believe I just said that."

Joe shoots him a glare, "Look at it this way Nick... Miley's not willing to get out of this funk for herself, but she I'm willing to bet she would if she knows that she's hurting you."

"I guess..." I agree, warming up to the idea, but also wanting to change the subject. Kevin seems to sense this so he changes the subject to himself.

"So, Joe, got any advice for me?" he jokes but you can tell he's kind of serious too.

"No way, man. I don't know anything about pregnant women," Joe retorts shaking his head, "Just tell her she's not fat."

They both laugh and even I throw in a chuckle. The rest of the lunch is filled with pleasant chatter about Joe's movie premiere which is coming up and about the different artist in the studio. I have to admit that I enjoy spending some time with my brothers which we haven't gotten to do a lot lately now that we're all older. But at the same time in the back of my mind I can't help but wonder if Joe could be right.

Later after some more time in the studio, I stop by the food store to get Miley flowers. I would go to the usual stop, but I haven't been by in a while and it might be a little depressing to see Mimi in such dismal circumstances.

I walk into the penthouse and call out her name. She doesn't answer, but I'm going to keep calling until she does. She can't just ignore me forever, right?

"Miley?"

"I'm in the bedroom," her voice faintly calls from down the hallway. I debate asking her to come out here, but I decide not to.

I walk into the bedroom and see her, as usual, under the covers in bed.

"I brought you something, baby," I tell her and walk over to the side of the bed holding out the flowers.

She rubs her eyes and looks at the yellow roses like they're a foreign object.

Her hair is frizzy and piled on her head and she's wearing a huge T-shirt.

"Thank you," she whispers, sitting up in bed and taking the flowers.

There's an awkward pause as if neither of us knows how to proceed.

"Aren't you going to put them in water?" I ask her. Getting out of bed is one step, right?

"Um," she falters and then looks at me, "Yeah, okay."

She gets out of bed revealing her baggy sweatpants. I can't even remember the last time I saw her in fitting clothing. She's been showering and changing when I'm not around so I haven't even gotten a glimpse of her body. I'm suddenly struck by how much I miss it. She's always been comfortable in her skin and I didn't realize how much I took that for granted.

I follow her into the kitchen where she's filling a vase with water. Then she opens up the flowers and arranges them in the glass.

She's facing the counter away from me so I come up behind her and grab her waist. She jumps a little, but doesn't push me away. That's good, right?

"How about I take you out to dinner?" I ask her, kissing the skin behind her ear. She stiffens and moves her head away from mine.

"I had a big lunch," she says and it's so obvious that she's lying that it's almost comical. It's not worth calling her out on it though.

I hold in my sigh and then nod, backing off of her. She turns around from the counter to face me. There's way too much space in between us, but she seems so against contact and I don't want to frighten her.

"Are you-" she starts then pauses as if the idea of saying a full sentence, let alone a question is painful. I wait patiently for the rest of her question. "Are you okay with ordering takeout?"

I try to mask my disappointment. Not because I have to order takeout, but because I thought she'd say something a little more profound than that. I think she takes my silence as a no.

"I-I could make something, if you want," she offers rubbing her upper arm awkwardly. She looks so uncomfortable and I know that she doesn't really want to stay here. She's already inching for the door.

"No, it's fine, I'll just order some Chinese or something," I let her off the hook. She looks relieved and grateful.

"Okay, I'm a little tired..." she trails off, moving slowly to the door. I just stare at her and she quickly turns around and heads for the bedroom.

Once she's gone I sigh loudly and think about what Joe said. Can I be honest with her? It hurts to see her looking so uncomfortable and unhappy in our house and especially around me. If she can't feel comfortable around me, her fiancé, then how is this marriage going to work out?

I freeze when that thought crosses my mind and try to get rid of it. Of course we're going to work out. _If she gets better_, that tiny voice in the back of my mind says. I can't do this, I realize. I love her, God knows how much I love her, but I don't love how she's acting. It's putting me at edge and making me stress out. I don't want to lose the girl I fell in love with.

I head over to my bag and pull out my laptop and turn it on. Maybe some business will help settle my mind. Or at the very least, distract me. I'm not even thinking about dinner. I had a pretty big lunch with my brothers and I don't feel like eating another meal alone.

I reply to some random emails, read over some stuff for Mikayla's record, and take care of some bills. It takes a while to accomplish all that and I'm starting to get tired.

I click back to my email one more time and see I have an email from my publicist. Great, that means probably more rumors. Who knows what they've come up with this time?

I open it up to see pictures of me and my brothers out at lunch. How did I not notice the paparazzi? I guess I've just become immune to them. Then I read the headline.

_**"Are Things Over For Nick and Miley?"**_

_Nick Jonas__ stepped out today with his brothers (pictures above) to get some lunch while on a break from working in the studio. Nick was looking a bit under the weather and witnesses said that the brothers seemed to be involved in a serious conversation and that Nick seemed "uncomfortable and upset".  
Maybe it's because he's missing his lady love?  
Miley, who ordinarily can be spotted tagging along with Nick, hasn't been seen around town in almost three weeks. So sad, especially considering last time we checked, they were engaged. Maybe she wanted a bigger ring! Ha! We'll be keeping our eyes peeled for more signs of a break up._

I look at the words getting more and more annoyed. Just because we haven't been seen together doesn't mean we broke up. We decided that we didn't need to share this little mishap with the media, but a part of me wants to go and tell all the idiots who are bad talking Miley what she's going through.

I slam my laptop shut and then head for the bedroom. It was a long day and I'm tired. I walk in and see Miley lying down with her back facing me as usual. I strip down to my boxers. And then climb into bed next to her and turn off the lights with the switch next to the bed.

I reach over for Miley's body and my hand rests on her waist.

She sits up in surprise and looks at me fearfully for a moment. I thought she was asleep. She relaxes a little when she realizes it was me, but not completely.

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing," I mumble sheepishly, retracting my hand.

She settles back down on the pillows, but doesn't turn away from me yet.

"Are you okay?" she asks the ceiling, not looking at me at all.

"Yeah," I lie, "Just heard a stupid rumor about how we broke up."

"Oh," she says quietly. Great. Now I've upset her. She might think I don't hear that hurt tone in her voice, but I do.

Then she turns back away from me and cuddles back into the blankets. She's so close to me and yet she feels so far. I can't reach out and touch her without her panicking unnecessarily. There used to be a time where I could just get into bed and immediately spoon her, no questions asked. I don't think I've even been able to hug her in a week.

"I can't do this," I say out loud suddenly and then hold my breath. She doesn't say anything so I'm not sure if she's awake or not, but either way I have to get it out. "I can't be with you, but not really be with you. I love you, Mi, but I don't love this. I can't stand to see you like this. It's pulling me apart every day."

Still no reply. I sigh and then rollover and fall into a dreamless sleep.

When I wake up the next morning, Miley is nowhere to be found.

Instantly panic sets in. I walk around the house looking for her frantically. It takes me about ten minutes to realize her car keys are gone. I rack my brain, trying to think if there's something I forgot she had to do. I check the calendar on my phone about three times, just to make sure I'm not forgetting something. I go into our closet and look through her stuff, trying to figure out if anything is missing.

She couldn't have run away, right?

That's my first thought, but all of her stuff is still here. At least what from what I can see. All the suitcases are here too. I glance at the clock and realize that I have to be ready for work soon so I can't fixate on this for too long. Instead, I decide to leave it in Demi's hands. I'm pretty sure she doesn't have studio time today so I shoot her a quick text message.

**Nick: Woke up and Miley was gone. Her stuff's all still here. Any ideas?**

After I send it, I jump into the shower quickly. I jump out and shave and brush my teeth then rush to the phone before getting dressed.

Demi: No. I'm sure she's fine though if all of her things are there. I'll try calling her, okay? Don't worry.

I laugh cynically at her last sentence. Telling me not to worry, what a joke. Of course I'm going to worry about her. But instead of saying that I just thank her and then go get dressed. Within the next ten minutes I'm out the door and on my way to work, constantly checking my phone at every red light.

Still nothing. I walk in the studio and smile at the receptionist. Her eyes light up when she sees me.

"Nick! Good, you're here!" she exclaims, "You know that new band that's been signed? I think they're giving your brother a little trouble. You might want to head into studio three and see what's going on. I could hear the lead singer- Jesse? – all the way from here."

I nod and check my phone again. No new messages. Then I hear Kevin raising his voice and the receptionist gives me a pointed look. I sigh. Today is going to be a long day…

* * *

**It's been a while since I've had a little cliffhanger, so I thought I'd throw one in for you ;) I'm just going to say that probably what you think is happening, isn't happening. You know how I do. **

**Also, you guys have been super with reviews lately. I really appreciate it. It still amazes me how many people read this story. You all are the best. **

**p.s.- who's seeing JB this summer? Thoughts on Demi opening for JB again? Thoughts on it being a "Camp Rock Tour"? Feel free to share. It's been a while since I've done this b/c now I talk to a bunch of you via twitter, but I totally miss getting your rants in reviews and replying to them haha**


	11. Chapter 11

**Aw, I'm so sorry for those of you whose shows got cancelled :( that must really suck. Yes, I am going and I'm going to their soundcheck too. I think that it's ridiculous that Demi has been reduced to an opening act again (although it seems as if she is going to sing a fair amount of songs which is good) and I think the whole "Camp Rock" theme seems a little baby-ish. And yet, I'm going. So I guess they're doing something right :|**

**Welp, here's the next chapter...**

**Nick's POV**

"We don't want her on our debut album!" Jesse is yelling at Kevin the moment I step in the door.

"Or on any album," Brett chips in while the rest of the band agrees with nods and quiet noises of approval.

"She's the only artist on our register who's available," Kevin says sounding like he's been repeating the same line over and over.

"Well, can't we get someone not on the label?" Jesse argues. If there's one thing to be said for this guy, he's definitely passionate. Even though they were just recently signed, he seems to have no problem arguing for what they want in a record company. I guess it's admirable, but right now honestly it's just a pain in the ass.

"Listen," Kevin says gritting his teeth, "This is your first album. You have to prove yourself first before the label will put up with something expensive like that."

Then, Jesse suddenly realizes that I'm here and looks at me pleadingly.

"Come on, Nick" he begs, "You have to understand... We can't have a duet with _Mikayla _on our record. We're a rock band and she sings pop! Her auto tuned voice won't fit with our sound!"

He's right. Their sounds are not cohesive at all. But Kevin's right too. She's the only female artist available the same time as them. They're supposed to do a duet with a current artist to help push them into the mainstream music scene, but apparently they're not having it.

"I understand that your sounds aren't similar," I say carefully, "But Mikayla is the only option."

"But she can't sing!" Jesse complains, throwing his hands in the air in frustration. Much like I'm sure Kevin would like to do to.

"She can," I argue half heartedly. Okay, so she's not great. But she's made it this far so she must have something. She doesn't have great range, but she's not tone deaf.

All right. I'm just going to admit this now. I know it's not really fair to insult an artist, but Jesse does have a point. Mikayla is not the best vocalist. Okay, actually she's pretty bad and I completely understand Jesse's point. But it's not like I can say that especially because I'll be helping produce her album.

"There aren't any other female vocalists... Unless you guys have a friend who would do it for free," Kevin insists.

"What about Miley?" Jesse asks suddenly, his eyes lighting up.

Kevin gives me a wary look. I can tell that he slightly agrees with Jesse and that it's my call. But Miley doesn't want to do any projects and I'm not going to try to guilt her into doing this one. Besides, she probably wouldn't even listen to me. Do I really want the first conversation we've had in a month to be about pushing her to do a duet?

"She's not doing any projects right now," I say firmly, wanting to leave it there. But Jesse seems to have other plans.

"Come on, just let me talk to her... I'm sure she'd-"

"No," I cut him off, starting to get a little angry. Why can't he just drop it? Besides, if I can't get Miley to do anything what makes him think he can?

"I don't understand why I can't just ask her," Jesse continues. Brett puts a hand on his shoulder signaling that he should stop, but he doesn't listen. "Nick, can we talk? Privately"

Everyone else in the room looks at us a little warily and I'm a little baffled, but I nod anyway and go out into the hallway and then into my office down the hall.

"Listen, Nick," Jesse starts as soon as the door to my small office is closed, "I know that music means as much to you as it does to me. I've been wanting this forever. The Hannah gig was supposed to help, but once Miley left and that was done it's like I had to start from scratch again. This album is important and I refuse to have Mikayla on it. I'd rather just not do a duet."

"I understand," I tell him for what seems like the millionth time, "But there's nothing I can do about it."

"Let us use, Miley," he begs, "She's an incredibly talented writer and singer. You know her voice would fit with our sound."

God, why won't he just quit it with Miley? Besides, it's not like I own her... She's the one who has been refusing all offers.

"I told you she's not-"

"I don't know what she's told you, but if this has something to do with what happened between Miley and I when she was Hannah, we're way over that, dude."

I stare at him in shock. Something happened between them? That's not at all what I was worried about before, but maybe now I should be. Shit. I mean I know he knew about her being Hannah, but I figured they were just close band mates or something. Maybe even her whole band knew. But no, apparently he was something special. But he's right. It was a long time ago. I'm sure they're both over it.

He seems to realize by my expression that he's said the wrong thing.

"Um, never mind," he says awkwardly patting my shoulder, "Just... think about asking her, okay? This is about music. I'm sure she'll understand."

Then he quickly ducks out of my office before I can respond to him. That was... weird, to say the least. But before I can dwell on it for another moment, my phone rings in my pocket.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Nicholas," Demi's voice comes across my speaker.

"Finally," I say exasperatedly, "Did you hear from her?"

"I sure did..."

Even though Demi's being annoying, I can't help but feel relieved. If it was something serious Demi wouldn't be acting so playful.

"And...?"

"She's fine, Nick," Demi assures me, "I'm sure she'll be home by the time you are."

"But do you know where she-"

"She's safe, Nick," she cuts me off, "That's all that matters."

I debate between demanding she tell me and letting it go. Ultimately, I decide on the second option.

"You said she'll be home when I get back, right?"

"Yes," Demi insists, "I'm sure she will be."

I run a hand through my hair. What could she be doing all day that she had to leave even before I got up? Then again, she's a smart girl. She probably knew I would question where she was going.

"Did she sound, um, upset?"

"Should she be?" Demi asks accusingly and I can imagine her brown eyes turning into slits. I'm glad I'm not with her to feel the full wrath of her evil eye. That girl is no joke, especially when it comes to her friends.

"No, I mean, Joe told me to talk to her and I did, but I don't know if she heard me because it kind of seemed like-"

"Okay, enough," Demi interrupts and I know she's rolling her eyes. Clearly, I've known her way too long. "She didn't want me to say anything, but you seem really worried so I'll give you a little something to settle your mind… I think things are starting to get better, Nick. I really do."

I'm about to question her farther, but she hangs up. I sigh and put my phone away. Then I look down at my desk and see a picture of Miley and I in a frame. It's from us performing and she has this wide smile on her face as she looks into the crowd while I'm just staring at her in awe. I pick it up and a smile comes to my face. I sure hope Demi is right because I want this Miley back. The one who loves life and takes it head on. With the idea of Miley feeling better back in my head, I settle down at my desk and get started with today's agenda.

I don't think the day could have lasted any longer. I know Demi said she would be home when I got home, but I can't help but leave work a full half hour earlier so that I can get there early. But just like Demi said, when I pull into the parking lot, I see Miley's car in its usual spot and sigh in relief. She's home.

I quickly make my way up into the penthouse and burst in.

"Miley!" I yell just to let her know that I'm home. I don't want to startle her. I drop my stuff down and head for the bedroom. My eyes go to the bed, but it's empty and carefully made. Well, there's one difference at least.

"Oh!" I hear Miley exclaim from the entrance to the closet, "I didn't think you'd be home this early."

I turn to her and my jaw hits the ground.

She's wearing a short, fitted black dress with a thick vertical stripe of grey in the front. The sweetheart neckline accentuates her chest and the short hem makes her legs seem even longer.

Her hair is styled in big curls that frame her face and fall just past her shoulders and her makeup is flawless in a way that only a pro could do. She really looks like she's dressed up to go somewhere.

"You look... wow," I say dumbly, still frozen in my spot.

"Thank you," she blushes and shifts a little awkwardly, "I just got back from the salon... I thought maybe we could go out for dinner?"

"Yes," I say a little too quickly and eagerly, "Just let me change."

"I made a reservation at that French restaurant down the street, is that okay?" she calls from the bedroom as I strip off my jeans and t-shirt and put on black dress pants and a light purple dress shirt.

"That sounds perfect."

Honestly, I'd go with her to Pizza Hut at this point just to out with her. I don't know what's changed, maybe she heard me last night, but I can tell that she's trying.

"Ready," I declare, walking out of the closet to see Miley waiting for me. She smiles, it's not her full smile, but it's not completely fake either, and she begins to leave the room. I walk a little faster so that we're next to each other. It takes everything in me not to grab her hand, but I know that I need to let her do it at her own pace.

When we get down to the parking lot, she stands by my car and waits for me to open the door for her. It's been so long since I've been able to do things like this for her. To some guys being a gentleman seems like a chore, but I love Miley and I want to do these things for her.

During the short drive down the street, I chat a little about nothing just to fill the silence and Miley nods and listens carefully. It's a little strange to be the one who's talking so much around her, but at least she's not ignoring me.

When we get into the restaurant, I pull out her seat for her which earns me a big smile. She asks me about my day and I tell her, leaving out the part about Jesse. The waiter comes over and takes our drink order and then leaves.

"Mmm everything looks so good," Miley comments as she reads the huge menu, "I'm so hungry."

I smile hearing her say that. She always was a good eater. She wasn't afraid to eat what she wanted when she wanted. I take her being hungry as another good sign.

The waiter comes back and takes our order and then it's just Miley and me again. An awkward silence settles between us for a moment and I sort through my brain trying to think of some topic to bring up. Luckily, I'm left off the hook when Miley speaks.

"So..." she says slowly, dragging the one syllable word out and looking at me almost nervously.

"Yeah babe?"

"I talked to a wedding planner today..." she starts sounding a bit apprehensive.

It takes everything in me to not launch myself out of the seat and wrap my arms around her. But somehow, that seems like it would scare the crap out of her. I don't want to overwhelm her.

"She's from the same agency that Dani and Kevin used... But you'll have to meet her of course before we hire her," she adds.

"Their wedding was beautiful," I agree, "I'm sure it will turn out amazing."

I take a chance and reach out to grab her hand that's resting on the table. She flinches for a moment, but then relaxes and even gives me a little squeeze.

"Mm... Have you thought of any dates yet?"

Excitement rushes through me. She wants to talk about the wedding.

"Not really," I admit although secretly I am thinking as soon as possible.

"I was thinking winter," she says, her voice sounding stronger and less nervous, "It's such a magical time, but it will still be warm in LA so we won't have to worry about any of that. Plus, it's soon, but not too soon, what do you think?"

I nod eagerly, "that sounds great.'

"I mean," Miley continues, "It's cutting it a little close, but realistically speaking, I'm sure they'll be willing to speed up the process for us."

"What about New Year's Eve?" I suggest. I mean, that seems like a good time, right? There probably aren't a lot of weddings then so scheduling shouldn't be that big of an issue.

I watch Miley think it over and then she nods quickly.

"I like it, good thinking," she squeezes my hand again and I squeeze back. The rest of dinner, I listen to her chatter about the wedding. She talks about colors and flowers and best men and maids of honor. Nothing's set in stone; she just talks about them in general. Watching her get excited makes me happy. Her eyes which have been dull for the past weeks are now bright and full of life as she tells stories about her brother's wedding and makes mental notes of things we need to make sure we take care of.

I interject every once in a while with a sentiment, but for most of the night I just watch her talk. I almost forget that for a while it seemed like we were falling apart. I knew my Miley wouldn't be gone for good. She was just lost for a little bit.

When we leave the restaurant, full and happy, we're practically attached at the hip.

Someone must have tipped the paparazzi off because the second we get out the door there's flashes in our face. I look over at Miley worriedly, but she just laughs and waves off their ridiculous questions over where she's been lately.

We hold hands the entire way home, only letting go when I have to get out and open her door where I take her hand again right away.

"That was so fun," Miley practically gushes as we walk into the penthouse, "Are you coming to bed now?"

"I'll be there in a minute," I assure her, "I just have to check my email really quick."

She leans in and gives me a quick peck on the lips before heading for the bedroom. I rush over and start my laptop as quick as possible. Right on top of all the unread things, there's an email from my publicist.

Pictures of Miley and I from tonight are already on the internet. I smile at how close we are and how ridiculous she looks laughing at the paparazzi. She's so beautiful… some people look bad on camera, but even in the harshest flashes she manages to look amazing…

What the hell am I doing? Am I really checking my email while my beautiful fiancé is in our bedroom waiting for me? I close my laptop and decide that whatever is in there can wait another ten hours or so.

"Mi," I say with a smile on my face, "They already have our pictures on-"

I stop dead in my tracks by the sight as I walk into the bedroom. Up until this moment, I didn't think that I could be any happier or that this night could get any better. But believe me, it just did.

Sitting on the edge of our bed with one leg crossed over the other and her hands behind her on the bed, supporting her upper body, is my beautiful fiancé. Completely naked. Except for, I note with some excitement from areas below the belt, those damn heels.

Even more enticing than her body, is that confident smirk that's back on her face as she bares it all for me.

I don't hesitate for long. I mean, I'm a guy, and what can you expect? It's been a long time since I've seen her like this and I'll be damned if I'm not going to take advantage of it.

I kick off my own shoes and practically tackle her onto the bed. My mouth finds hers and I kiss her over and over and over again. Somehow while doing this I manage to pry my socks off with my toes and also let my hands get tangled in her gorgeous hair.

"Nick," she sighs happily as I move from her lips, down her jawbone and to her neck, "Oh, Nick..."

I slide my arms behind her waist and back picking her up and pressing her body tight against mine as I carry her to the top of the bed.

Her fingers search frantically for the buttons on my shirt before giving up and ripping it open. I'm vaguely aware of the sound of buttons scattering across the room, but even I'd question my sexuality if I was even remotely concerned with that.

"Miley," I groan as her palms slide over my chest. Every single little touch is lighting me on fire. Even if she stopped now, I swear I'd be satisfied.

I bring our lips back together and nibble on her bottom one gently. I'm rewarded with another sigh.

Suddenly, I feel hands on my waist, pushing me away from her.

I knew it was too good to be true. I shift away from her and put my hands on the bed to lift myself up and admit defeat. Then one of her hands slides into my hair and pulls my face closer to hers as she slides her tongue in my mouth.

Okay, I'm totally getting mixed messages here. One second she's pushing me away and then she's pulling me closer.

But then her other hand slides down my chest again and to the waist band of my dress pants. Oh, that's what she wanted. Using only one hand (damn, how did she get so good at this?), she manages to undo my belt and my pants. Her tongue darts into my mouth again and wraps around my own, sucking on it slightly. Fuck. She knows how that move drives me crazy.

Her hand travels into my pants and by the smile I feel though our kiss, I know she's accomplished what she wanted: turning me on.

Quickly, in one motion, she grasps either side of my pants and boxers and yanks them down while I kick my legs to free them of the material. I almost lose it at the feel of her smooth silky legs against mine.

My lips make their way down to her neck and then lower, between the valley of her breasts. Her skin is sweet and a little salty with the sweat that's collecting there.

I'm thrilled by the gasps and sighs she lets out as my mouth becomes reacquainted with her upper half. But, in typical Miley fashion, just as I'm beginning to enjoy myself, she flips us over so she's on top of me with one knee in between my legs.

She looks down at me and I look back up at her blue eyes. And in that moment, nothing else is more important than her. Nothing. And I don't think anything ever will be again.

"Baby?" she says softly, running her fingers through my curls soothingly.

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry."

"You don't have to-"

"Yes, I do," she interrupts me, "I'm sorry that it's been so long since we've been like this. I guess I was just scared that if we did it, that... _it_ might happen again. And I know you want a big family and I was scared that if I couldn't give that to you then you would leave. But the silly part is that in doing that, I pushed you away."

"No, baby," I shake my head, "I'd never leave you for that. Whether it's you and me and ten kids or just you and me, as long as it's the two of us, I'm happy."

"I know," she says, her eyes glassy with tears, "Me too."

I lean up and give her a gentle kiss on the lips.

"I don't want to be distant from you anymore," she mumbles against my lips, "I want to be like we used to be."

I'm about to open my mouth to give her back an equally clichéd, but nevertheless meaningful answer when she swings her left leg over my right so that she's straddling me and pressing herself onto me. All words fail me except her nickname.

"Mi," I gasp and then reach up to grip her hips as she rides me. It's been way too long since we've been like this and it feels so good. She lowers her mouth to mine, giving me a surprisingly chaste kiss given the situation.

"I love you," she says in between kisses while her hips move in circles.

"I love you more," I counter and she just laughs and shakes her head. I flip her over so that I'm on top now.

When we've finished the first round (which doesn't take long considering how long it's been), I roll of Miley and try to catch my breath. We lay there in a companionable silence until Miley speaks up.

"Nick?"

"Mm?"

"I don't want ten kids."

I laugh and then turn to face her while she does the same. I push a stray piece of hair out of her face.

"Then how many do you want?"

She thinks about it for a moment, "Maybe two or three. That seems like a good number. Sound good?"

"It sounds perfect," I say and then kiss her forehead and pull her close. I close my eyes and rest my forehead against her shoulder and try to relax my heavy beating heart.

"Nick?"

"Yes?"

"I missed you," she says and I start to kiss her collar bone while she plays with my hair, "I missed you so much."

"I missed you too, Smiley Miley," I tease and then kiss up her neck and then to her jaw.

"Nick?" she asks for a third time.

"What?" I groan because I was just about to kiss her lips and hopefully initiate round two of our love fest.

"Want to do it again?"

I laugh again and instead of answering I pull her on top of me and kiss her passionately. She gets the hint though and soon enough we're together again, just the way we're meant to be.

* * *

**So how was it? It wasn't my favorite chapter I've ever written, but I guess it got the job done. Yay Nick and Miley are happy again... but what up with Jesse? Sketchyy.**

**Okay, question time... Do you guys watch Jonas LA? (I don't) Did you guys buy the soundtrack? What did you think of it?/What are you favorite songs?**


	12. Chapter 12

ay0. enjoy.

**Miley's POV**

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Kevin asks me as I walk down the hallway of the recording studio in the early afternoon.

I hold up the plate covered in plastic wrap in my hands, "just bringing a care package for Nick."

"That's really nice of you, Miley," he says with a smile, "He's in the last recording booth with Mikayla if you want to go see him."

"Thanks, Kevin," I say giving him a quick half-hug before practically skipping down the hallway.

Okay, so the care package is just an excuse. Truthfully, I just want to see Nick so I made an excuse by baking him brownies and bringing them into the studio. So sue me. I bet I'm not the first person to do it. It's not like wanting to see my _fiancé_ is a crime.

I make my way down the hall to the last studio. The door is partially open so I push it the rest of the way and walk in.

There's Nick in front of the soundboard with headphones on while Mikayla sings in the soundproof area behind it. I wait patiently for them to finish before saying anything. I wouldn't want to distract them.

Nick tugs off his headphones and then talks into the microphone so that what he's saying reaches Mikayla's ears.

"Listen, why don't we just take a quick break so you can work on maintaining the right key," he says sounding exhausted and frustrated. I know in the past week he's been having a lot of trouble with Mikayla in the studio.

He sighs to himself while she can't hear him.

"Bad day?" I ask sympathetically from behind him.

He turns around and sees me and his eyes light up.

"Hi! What are you doing here?" he asks.

"I made you something," I explain holding up the plate again. He grins like a school boy at the sight of the chocolaty treat.

"Aw, baby, you shouldn't have," he says reaching out to take them from me.

"Miley!" Mikayla calls suddenly from the recording booth. Her thin arms wrap around me in a hug and I hug her back awkwardly.

"How are you?" she says, too loud and too fake for my liking. Seriously, why can't she just send me evil glares from across the room or something?

"I'm good," I say back sounding just as sugary, "I heard your album is going to be amazing!"

Okay, that's a lie. I've heard it's been going terribly for Nick. She can't stay in the right key, she can't hold the notes long enough for what Nick wants, and she has no personal connection to the music she's recording. But whatever. Nick is amazing and I know that he'll be able to make the final product amazing too… or at least amazing enough for the people in the clubs to be able to dance to it.

"Oh, _thank you_," she smiles again, "Nick is truly a genius!"

Yeah, right. As if she has any idea of his vast talent besides what he's doing for her.

"Mikayla are you ready to work on that one part?" her vocal coach interrupts our little exchange. Not that I mind. She gives a small goodbye and as she walks away I roll my eyes as Nick snickers quietly.

He goes to leave the room and motions for me to follow him.

"_I_ _heard your album is going to be amazing_!" Nick mocks me, using a high-pitched, exaggeratedly fake voice.

"Shut up. I was trying to be polite."

"I know," he says as he steps into his office, "I'm surprised you managed."

I decide to ignore that little comment and look around Nick's new office. I haven't had a chance to get down here since he got it. It's actually more of a renovated closet, to be honest. I'm pretty sure it was a janitor's closet at one point.

There's about enough room for a desk against the back wall with two comfy chairs situated in front of it. There are no windows but with the crisp white paint and good lighting it's still pretty bright.

"Very nice," I say after taking it in.

"Yeah, it's small, but I don't like spending a lot of time here anyway. I'd rather just go home and work there."

"Mm," I agree, "Although, I think we both know you get very little work done at home."

"And whose fault is that?" he asks, eyeing me and moving closer, "You look really pretty, by the way."

"Yours," I answer with a smirk, "And thank you."

Truth is, I totally got dressed up for this. I have on a really flattering sundress with some cute little heels and a little more makeup than usual on. But I didn't need to do that. I wanted to. I like looking nice for Nick.

Then he's right in front of me, pulling me close by the waist and kissing me. At first I think it's just a little peck, but then he applies more pressure so I kiss back and mold my lips against his.

His tongue parts my lips and then slides into my mouth as I grip onto his shoulders to keep myself upright. God, I hope it always feels like this when we kiss.

His hands slide from my waist to my butt and then to my thighs and he hoists me up onto his desk so I'm sitting on the end. Impressively, he doesn't break the kiss the whole time.

"You're so hot," he murmurs in between kisses and he starts to lean heavier on me so that I'm forced to lean back against his desk a little. His hands start to slide up my legs and past the hem of my dress.

"What are you doing?" I gasp out as his mouth finds the sensitive part on my neck and teases it mercilessly.

"It's like you're my sexy secretary and I'm the boss," he whispers hotly in my ear.

"Oh my God, Nick," I say pushing him away and laughing, "No, we are _not_ doing that."

"Why? I think it'd be kind of hot," he says with a cheeky smirk.

"We're not having sex in your office, Nick," I shake my head and hop off his desk, "And I'm definitely not playing into your little fantasy."

"We've had sex in a recording studio," he counters.

"That was one time!" I say as blood fills my cheeks when I think about it.

"You're so cute when you act all innocent," he coos, reaching up to pinch my pink cheek playfully.

"What do you mean _act_?" I narrow my eyes at him.

"I don't think you climbing into the shower with me this morning was very innocent," he says with a smirk, making me blush harder.

"Well, then maybe next time I won't bother..." I counter, knowing that will shut him up.

"Oh, I'm not saying I didn't like it," he shakes his head, "I'm just saying I know how bad you really are."

"Well, if you're mind is going to be down the gutter and I guess I should get going..." I tease, heading for the door.

His fingers wrap around my wrist as I reach for the handle. He tugs on my arm gently and spins me around so I'm facing him.

"I'll be good. Promise." He wraps his arms around my waist again and pulls me closer to him.

"You have to get back to Mikayla," I remind him as I rest my hands behind his neck.

"Don't remind me..." he groans.

"You'll be fine," I assure him, "I'll make you an extra special dinner when you get home."

He perks up at the mention of food, "Lasagna?"

"If that's what you want."

"You're the best. I'll keep you around for a little longer," he teases me.

I hold up my left hand that has his ring adorned on it, "Uh-uh. You're in this for the long run."

"That's what I like to hear," he says before pulling me in for a quick kiss, "I love you. I'll see you tonight."

"Love you," I lean in to give him another kiss and then we pull apart and he opens the door for me. I walk out of the hallway and wait for him to walk out too.

"Wait!" he cries suddenly and then turns around and goes into his office again. When he comes back out he's holding a brownie in his hand. "I need one of these."

I shake my head and laugh, but secretly I'm pleased.

"Tonight," he says again and I nod. He gives me a quick hug and then turns around to go back to the studio. I watch him until he goes into the room and then I sigh happily.

_"__Speechless__, over the head, you're just-"_

"Shut up, Joe!" I say turning around to come face to face with him.

He smirks, "Sorry, but the look on your face called for it."

"What are you even doing here?" I ask him.

"You know, same as you, making up excuses to be here so I can see my significant other."

I smirk back at him and starting singing, _"Hopeless, head over heels in the-"_

"Okay!" he laughs good-naturedly, "I get it."

"Joe! Where did you- Oh! Hi, Miley!" Demi says poking her head put of one of the studios.

"Hi," I grin and give her a big hug.

"What are you doing here?"

Joe snickers, but I ignore him. "Just bringing Nick some brownies."

"Brownies?" she asks excitedly, "Where?"

"Nick's office," I say with a laugh. Seems like it's someone's time of the month.

"Joe-" she begins to whine.

"I'm going, I'm going," he mumbles and it's my turn to snicker.

"So how are you doing?" she asks sympathetically.

"Better than ever," I assure her with a smile, "I couldn't be happier."

"Good, that's all that matters," her eyes grow wide, "Oh, my God, Joe, I love you." She takes the large brownie out of his hands and takes a huge bite.

"Hey! I made them!"

"Love you too, Miley," she says with her mouth full. I shake my head and she and Joe excuse themselves to go back into the studio. Guess it's time to go home and find a recipe for lasagna then go food shopping. I could just buy a frozen one or something, but making it fresh seems like the more romantic thing to do. Plus it will waste time which I seem to have a lot of lately. Honestly, I don't know how I did it in my depressed state. The days go by so slowly now and when Nick's at the studio the hours seem to drag on forever.

I'm so concentrated on what I need to do that I don't even notice the person in front of me until I run into them and fall down on my butt.

"Oh, my God, I'm so sorry!"

I look up to see Jesse staring at me apologetically and holding a hand out to help me up.

"No, it was me, I wasn't paying attention," I say blushing. God, I'm such a klutz… so embarrassing. I reach up and grab his hand and he hoists me up onto my feet. Wow, I don't remember him being that strong.

"So what's up?" I ask, brushing myself off.

"Not much," he replies, "Just working on new material. Trying to find someone to sing a duet with us."

"What Mikayla's not interested?" I tease him. We always used to make fun of her back in the day.

"Ugh, we're not interested in _her_," he groans rolling his eyes, "But Nick and Kevin say she's the only artist available."

"Well, what if I did it?" I wonder out loud.

"Oh, no, you don't have-"

"No, really, I think it'd be fun!" I interrupt excitedly. Actually, the more I think about it the more fun I think it'll be. I was just saying how I get bored during the day so this could be perfect. I don't really want to record a whole album right now, but a few days in the studio wouldn't be bad. And then there would probably be a music video too so there would be even more to do.

"Are you sure? Because Nick said you weren't doing any projects. I wouldn't want you do to something you don't want to..."

"Yes! I'm sure!" I insist with a smile and impulsively give him a hug, "But right now, I have to get home. But email me the song, okay? I'm basically free whenever to record, let me know!"

"Alright," he says giving me a mock salute and then letting me go on my way.

This is really going to be perfect. And this gives me even more excuses to be at the studio and visit Nick. I smile at that thought as I go home and then to the food store.

The door to the penthouse opens just as the timer for the garlic bread, the last thing in the oven, goes off. The lasagna is on top of the stove, cooling off a little bit and there's also a salad on the counter.

"Dinner's almost ready!" I call right before Nick walks into the kitchen.

"Mmm this smells amazing," he comments before coming up to me and planting a peck on my lips.

"It better be amazing for how long it took me," I say jokingly.

"I know it will be... And even if it's not I'll pretend for you."

"Ha-ha, you're so funny," I deadpan while I transfer the garlic bread onto a plate. I already set the table when I was waiting before so everything's set.

"What do you need me to do?" he asks, rolling up the sleeves of his button down shirt.

"Um, carry the lasagna to the table, but use the oven mitts because it's still a little hot."

He does as I say while I carry the salad and bread out to the table.

Nick doesn't hesitate to serve me some lasagna and then fill up his own plate and start scarfing it down like he's starving.

I take my own bite of it. It's not that bad. Thank you . I look over to see Nick with a huge glob of tomato sauce on his cheek.

"You know, I miss the days when we first started dating and you acted like a gentleman around me," I tell him reaching over with my napkin to wipe his face for him.

He laughs, but then slows down eating, "I can't help that this is amazing."

"Thank you," I say even though I know he's just trying to butter me up.

"So I ran into Jesse at the studio..."

Nick swallows, "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah and the guys need someone to do a duet with them, so I offered," I say with a smile.

My eyes widen in alarm as Nick starts choking on the piece of bread he just stuffed in his mouth. I'm about to get up when he reaches for his water glass and swallows it down.

"Oh, my God, Nick," I place my hand over my beating heart, "Slow down."

"Sorry," he says sheepishly, "So you're going to do a duet with Jesse?"

"Well, with his band, technically. But I guess we'll be singing together. I think it's perfect, really. I've been kind of bored, but I don't think I want to do another album just yet. And I think it'll be fun."

"Yeah, I bet," Nick mumbles.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I say feeling a little confused.

He sighs, "Listen, I talked to Jesse a little while ago and he said something that had me wondering..."

"What happened between Jesse and I when I was Hannah?" I say bluntly. I just want to get to the point. I don't want it to be some secret between us because it's not that big of a deal.

"Well, actually, yes," Nick says as if he's surprised.

"Jesse was in my band towards the end of my Hannah career. He was cute, but I was dating Jake again so at first I wasn't all that interested even though he would always try to flirt with me... But then we wrote this song together and it was just like you and Demi, you know?"

Nick's eyes widen.

"No wait!" I say quickly, "Not _just_ like you and Demi. I mean the song writing chemistry. Not the sex."

Nick looks visibly relieved.

"Then I thought maybe I liked him, you know? And then he tried to kiss me and I said I couldn't even though I wanted to try it... And then Jake walked in as I was saying I wanted to kiss him."

"Wait... You wanted to kiss a boy when you were dating someone else?"

"Yes- no- I mean... I wanted to know what it would be like... If it would feel different, maybe even better than Jake. But in the end, I chose Jake and Jesse and I became friends and co-songwriters. That's why he knows Hannah is me."

Nick nods, "okay, thank you for telling me. I really appreciate it. I know you will be amazing on their song."

"Thanks," I say with a smile and then look at his plate, "Are you done?"

Nick nods again and I take his plate and my plate and rinse them off before putting them in the dishwasher with the bowls and such I used to make the lasagna. Nick follows me in with the salad bowl and bread plate and helps me pick up the kitchen.

"We still have that meeting tomorrow, right?" Nick asks when we're done.

"Yeah, the wedding planner is expecting us at nine tomorrow which means we need to be out of here by eight. I don't want to be late and there might be traffic in the morning."

"You excited?" Nick asks with a grin of his own. I can tell he's just as excited.

"You have no idea..."

"Stop bouncing!" Nick tells me as we sit in traffic on the way to see the wedding planner at her LA office.

"I can't, I'm excited!" I say, reaching over to squeeze his knee.

"I am too, but you're making the whole car shake and people are starting to stare," he says with a laugh.

"Good thing we left early," I remark as I look at the clock, "I _knew_ there'd be traffic."

"Smart girl," Nick says with a nod and then sneaks a glance at me. Despite the fact that Nick is trying to act normal, we've actually both been giddy since we woke up. Which might have had something to do with the fact that we only got about four hours of sleep last night, but whatever.

Finally, with just minutes to spare, Nick and I pull into the parking lot of the building where her office is located and get out of the car.

"Do you think she'll be okay with the date?" I say anxiously as Nick leads us to the right suite.

"Hey, it's more time than Danielle and Kevin gave her!" he assures me and then opens the door to a small, but airy waiting room. I walk through and head up to the desk.

"Hi," I say to the receptionist who is a tiny redhead who looks about our age, "Appointment for Jonas."

It feels so strange to say that name as if it's my own. But it will be soon. I shiver in excitement a little and Nick looks at me a little confused, but I just smile to myself.

"Of course," the woman says with a smile, "You're Linda's first appointment today. She'll be here with you shortly. Oh, and congratulations!"

We both smile and say thanks and sit down. Nick instantly reaches for my hand and squeezes it gently. We turn and look at each other at the same time and then smile. We're only there for about five minutes when a petite blonde woman wearing expensive looking cream dress pants and a crisp white shirt comes out of the door in the back.

"Nick? Miley?" she says with a smile, her eyes locking in on us. Nick's eyes light up in recognition so this must be the wedding planner, Linda. We both get up and follow her into her office.

"Congratulations," she says warmly, and Nick sticks out his hand to shake it. She waves it away though and smiles, "No, no. We're going to be close. None of that formality." Then she reaches out and gives Nick and hug which he returns awkwardly. Typical Nick. Unable to deal with affection from strangers.

Then she opens her arms to me and gives me a warm hug. She's probably in her early forties, even though she looks super young.

"Take a seat," she says gesturing to the love seat that faces her desk. Nick and I sit down next to each other and he places his hand on my knee.

"I have to say, Nick, you are a lot more grown up since the last time I saw you at your brother's wedding," she says in a friendly tone. I can already tell I'm going to like her. She's a really friendly and warm woman and I can tell that she's going to make this whole thing work out. Danielle couldn't stop raving about her when I called and asked for the number to set up an appointment.

Nick chuckles at that comment and then Linda's gaze turns to me.

" So, let me see the ring," she says excitedly, sounding almost exactly like Lily when she saw it for the first time. I lean over and show off my left hand which she grabs gently. "Beautiful," she sighs, "So classic and elegant. Have you looked at dresses yet?"

I shake my head, "Not yet, but I'm definitely looking forward to it."

"Oh, it will be a blast," she agrees, "You'll love it. So let's get down to business. Have you thought of a date?"

I look at Nick nervously. I'm still a bit anxious about asking her to plan a wedding in six months. I mean, I know we're paying her, but I hate to inconvenience people.

"We were thinking about New Year's eve," Nick says speaking up for us, "We were thinking about having early cocktail hour and having the reception start a little early so that people who would rather celebrate the New Year somewhere else can stay for a few hours and then leave to make other plans."

Linda nods, "We can definitely make that work."

Nick shoots me an I-told-you-so look, but I decided to ignore it.

"How many people are we thinking of?" she asks as she writes a few notes in the book in front of her, "Just a rough estimate."

"About five hundred," I pipe up and she nods again and writes it down, "And we'd really like to have it somewhere in LA or the surrounding area."

"Okay, well now that we have the basics down… I want to know what kind of wedding you guys picture for yourselves. This will help me pick out a venue and I can some of my designers to start sketching a few different set ups for you guys."

"Something traditional," Nick says looking at me for confirmation, so I nod, "But not too stuffy, you know?"

"A modern fairy tale," I add in.

"I like that," Linda nods, writing it all down, "Now do you plan on getting married in a church or should we set up an alter at the venue?"

Nick and I glance at each other. We hadn't really thought about it. Nick belongs to a church in Dallas and I belong to one in Tennessee and even though there are a few good services in the area that we've attended there isn't really a church that we would consider "ours".

"I think an alter at the venue," Nick says slowly, as if reading my mind. This is why I love him. We're completely on the same page. Linda looks at me and I nod in agreement.

"Perfect," she smiles, "Okay, I'm going to try and find a place in the next few days. There are a few in the area that I already have in mind. I'll email you guys a list of about twenty or so with links to their websites and then you can pick out the ones you'd like to go see in person and I'll make appointments."

Nick and I both nod and look at each other excitedly. It's really happening. I mean, we knew it was going to happen, but this just makes it even more real. Together forever.

"Now, homework," she says with a grin, "You need to think about colors. I don't need you guys to pick, but by the next time, I expect you two to have a few ideas, okay? And I think we should also start thinking about a cake. I know it seems early, but the best cake places in LA take orders months in advance. Not that I think anyone will have trouble making room for you two, but it's good to be prepared. And Miley, just a word of advice? Start looking for a dress sooner than later, okay?"

"I will," I promise her. I can't wait to go dress shopping actually. I've already talked to Denise and she's going to come. Of course, it won't be the same as having my mom with me, but I know that she'll be there in spirit like she has been my whole life. Lily and Demi and Dani all want to come too so we'll have to find a day when we're all free.

"I just want you guys to have the wedding of your dreams," Linda says wrapping up the appointment, "Don't be afraid to ask for things or to change the things that I say. I'm just a facilitator; you guys get the ultimate decision."

"Thank you so much," Nick says earnestly as we all stand up. Linda gives us both warm hugs again and then escorts us out the door. We say good bye to the receptionist and then leave the suite.

I grab Nick's hand and start skipping as we head down the hallway to the exit.

"We're getting married, we're getting married," I sing as I drag him along with me. He shakes his head, but he can't hide the smile on his face.

"Yes, we are, now can you stop acting crazy? It looks we with have company," he tilts his head to the door where there are a bunch of paparazzi waiting. Not too many, but a good amount. And they're already snapping picture of us through the glass door.

I frown slightly, "How did they find us?"

"I don't know," Nick shakes his head, "But don't worry, Linda's office is unmarked. She gets a lot of high profile clients who don't want their information leaked."

We emerge out into the group of men with big cameras and instantly questions are thrown in our face.

"Miley! Let us see the ring!"  
"Is this a gynecologist, are you pregnant, Miley?"  
"Nick, is it true you went out to dinner with Mikayla last night?"

Nick keeps his poker face on and his hand gripped tight around mind as we push through them to his car. He opens the door for me and makes sure I'm safely inside before he runs around to the other side. I hear him murmur something to the paparazzi, but I can't hear it and then he slips in next to me.

"What'd you say to them?" I ask as he puts the car in drive.

He smirks and starts to pull out of the parking spot, "I told them they should get out of the way, because I didn't have a problem hitting them."

I stare at him and then I realize he's not kidding.

"Oh, my God, Nick," I burst into laughter, "You're making trouble for yourself."

"They said they could understand why I was so eager to get you home," he adds, taking his eyes off the road for a minute to throw me a wink.

"Nick!" I shriek, "You're soo lucky that I love you."

"I know," he says seriously even though I was joking, "I know."

* * *

**YAY wedding stuff. Miley's dress chapter is coming up soon. And some quality Nick and Mikayla time. Just wanted to clarify that Mikayla is not supposed to be Selena even though that's her character in Hannah Montana. I'm going on vaca but I'll be in touch via twitter. Sorry I'm pretending TMUP doesn't exist. I swear I'll try to think about it while I'm relaxing on the beach :) LOVE YA'LL. Review please. I'd really love to get to 500 soon. **

**Also, i got a tumblr. follow me: infinitedecember . tumblr . com **


	13. Chapter 13

**Nick's POV**

"I really don't think you need any more sugar," I say, resting a hand on Miley's skinny jean covered leg to stop it from bouncing up and down. We're sitting at a table of a famous cake place in downtown LA. We're going to be sampling different flavors of cake and filling and then we're going to design our wedding cake.

Honestly, it seems a little crazy to me that we have to choose now, but whatever. I'm just a guy, what do I know about planning wedding receptions? Apparently things need to be done months in advance. Miley and I have decided that the wedding colors should be navy blue and black along with the traditional white. That might sound strange to some people, usually those colors don't go well together, but they're traditional and crisp and timeless.

"I'm just excited!" she says, repeating the same mantra that she says every time we talk about wedding stuff. I don't actually mind, actually it's kind of funny how she has to physically show her excitement. And obviously the fact that she's so excited to marry me is awesome.

"But you always get all bouncy when you're excited..."

Her lips curl up into a smirk and she has that glint in her eye. You know which one I mean. And she always tells me that _my_ mind is in the gutter.

"Don't even go there," I say before she can make a dirty joke. She laughs out loud.

"You just make it so easy," she explains and then picks up the scrapbook in front of her and flips through all the pictures of past cakes that the place has done.

"What kind of cake do you want?" I ask looking over her shoulder at the pictures of cakes. They range from traditional tiered cakes to really crazy ones that are shaped like suitcases and other strange objects.

"One that tastes good," she says quickly and I laugh, "What? It doesn't matter if it looks good if it's going to taste like crap when you smash it in my face."

"I'm not going to smash in it your face," I roll my eyes at her.

"You're going to be singing a different tune when I smash it into yours first."

I'm about to give back and equally witty reply when the man who runs the bakery comes out with a tray full of samples. There are about five different cakes with even more fillings. The tray also has two silver forks on it. Each of the cakes and fillings are carefully labeled.

"Okay, I'm going to let you both try them in peace," the owner says as another girl places two glasses of water in front of us, "I'll come back in a little bit to see what you guys think."

"Sounds perfect," I say with a smile as the owner excuses himself again.

I pick up a fork and then hand it to Miley before picking up my own.

"Which one do you want to try first?" I ask eying all the different cakes; lemon cake, devil's food cake, white cake, yellow cake, and banana cake. One of Miley's cousins is highly allergic to nuts so we decided to not have any nuts in the cake just so we don't have to worry about it being a problem. I don't really like nuts anyway so it works for me.

"The lemon cake," Miley says, taking a tiny bit of it and chewing it over thoughtfully, "No."

I take my own bite of it and shake my head in agreement, "Way too tart. I can't imagine eating a whole piece of cake that tastes like this."

We both wash the flavor out of our mouths and then try the Devil's food cake. It's really good, but a little plain. But with all the fillings that are available there is probably one that will compliment it nicely. Miley agrees and we try the next one. The white cake is boring, the yellow cake is suburb and the banana is delicious, but a little too rich.

After trying all the fillings Miley likes the Devil's food cake with raspberry filling whereas I like the traditional yellow cake and vanilla butter cream. Since we're having a tiered cake, we decided to have each tier alternate between the two that we like… look at us, already compromising with each other.

"Okay," the cake decorator says making a note of our flavors on the form in front of him, "So do you want a square or round cake?"

Miley and I exchange a look and she says, "Square" at the same time I say, "Round."

We both laugh at the fact that we picked two different things. Could we be anymore different?

"Well, you know we could do both," the cake decorator says flipping through the book of previously made cakes, "Like alternate between square and round."

He points to a page where there's an example of such a cake. It's pretty cool. It's unique, but still looks like wedding cake so it's not too out there.

"I like it," I say and Miley nods too and continues to flip through the book.

"I like this," she says, pointing to an up-close picture of a cake. The fondant is quilted with some little pearl accents and little flowers. I agree. It's a nice detail.

"We can definitely do that," he writes down that too, "We can even make the flowers more of a navy blue color to match the wedding."

"That's perfect," Miley says beaming. I don't know what it is about women and wedding planning, but so far it is definitely bringing out the best in Miley. Whether it's looking at venues or brides maid dresses or plates or menus or cakes, she's always smiling, always laughing always finding exactly what she wants. I mean, yeah of course I want the wedding to be perfect too, but I think that my definition of perfect is slightly based off hers. I already know it's going to be the best day of my life anyway; I just need it to be special for her.

"What if we did something like this, Nick?" she asks pointing to a picture where a stripe of black layers the bottom of each tier on the cake.

"That's really cool," I agree and the cake decorator writes that down too. Okay, it's time to stop. I mean I know it's his job to please us, but I don't want to overwhelm the guy. It already has to be a huge cake for that many people and putting too much detail would just be annoying.

We finished up the details and the guy says he'll give us a call to confirm when they start actually making the cake before our wedding. Once we're out of the cake place, it's already getting dark seeing as we went when I was done work.

"I don't want to wait," Miley says suddenly on the way home in the car.

"What?"

"To get married," she says with a laugh, "And don't worry, I'm only kidding, well, mostly."

"I know what you mean," I say with a grin, "I wish we could just do it tomorrow. I'm more than ready."

"Exactly. I like doing this though… planning everything out, I mean. Especially because we get to do it together."

"Me too," I agree, "It's kind of girly and don't tell Joe I said this, but planning it all is actually kind of fun."

She laughs, "I can't wait to pick out my dress."

"But I won't get to be there for that part."

"But your mom will," Miley says with a big grin on her face. I know it's hard for her to do this without her own mom and I couldn't be happier that she feels comfortable and even happy with my mom filling in.

"She's dead excited, you know," I tell her, "She loves you and treating you like a daughter. That's what happens when you have all sons."

"I love her too," she says softly while picking at one of the holes in her jeans, then she smirks, "Almost as much as I love you." Her fingers creep across the center console and come in contact with my knee. Then she slowly creeps her fingers up my thigh.

"Miley," I warn. As hot as this is, it's definitely wrong.

"What?" she says so innocently that if I wasn't directly feeling her hand moving inwards I'd probably assume she wasn't doing anything wrong.

"Stop," I say trying to sound firm. But in my mind I'm calculating just how much longer it will take to get home. Five minutes, tops.

"Fine," she says moving her hand away. I'm surprised until she then moves her mouth to my ear and nibbles on it gently, "But only because we're almost home."

As much as I love her, I think this girl is going to drive me crazy. But as we pull into my parking space and rush up the elevator, holding hands and laughing, that doesn't seem like such a terrible thing.

Speaking of terrible things… work after staying up all night making love to your beautiful fiancé? Turns out it's not so fun. The day has been dragging on forever.

"How was that?" Mikayla asks hopefully as the last chord of the song she was just recording ends.

As much as I'd like to be able to say it was great, it wasn't. But it could be worse and honestly she is getting better at this even if "better" doesn't mean "good" quite yet.

"Good effort," I decide to say, figuring that's not a lie and it sounds pretty positive, right? "Now how about we take it again from the top."

She groans, "Niick, we've done that part at least ten times. Can't we, like, take a break or something?"

No, we cannot take a break. It's almost five and we're already behind schedule and I want to get home and eat and see my fiancé. But it doesn't look like I'm going to get to do that because the studio is booked for us until ten and judging by how far behind we are, we're going to need to use every moment of that time.

"Sure, five minutes," I say with a tight smile. I'm such a push over. But what am I supposed to say? 'No, we can't take a break'? Technically she's the one paying me.

"Thanks, Nick!" she says and rushes out of the studio to give me a hug, "Oh and by the way, later tonight MTV is coming to do a little interview with us, so you might want to freshen up."

"Okay- wait, what?"

That's so typical Mikayla. Not telling me something important like that. Now even more time will be wasted. Great, seriously, great.

"Yeah, they just want a little update on my album and stuff and they'll probably want to talk to you too," she says casually as if it's not a big deal, "My makeup and hair artists should be here around eight and the MTV crew is going to be here at like nine."

"And what time do you think it will be done?" I ask grinding my teeth and trying not to freak out.

"Oh definitely by ten," she assures me, "Don't worry you'll be out of here on time."

Yeah, Mikayla, I'll be out of here on time tonight. But what about the three hours we're wasting? When are we going to make those up? But it's not like I have the power to just stop the whole thing. There's Mikayla's PR people to go through and then MTV would have to change up their schedule and that's just more of a mess than I want to deal with. I guess I'll just have to suck it up.

By the time Mikayla's hair and makeup crew are done, the MTV crew has set up a space for the interview. They moved the couch in the recording studio so that it's in front of the soundboard, using the recording booth as the backdrop. Their lighting and cameras (yes, cameras, so they can get multiple views, of course) take up most of the rest of the room.

Mikayla emerges into the room, wearing a completely different outfit than the one she's been wearing for the rest of the day and her hair is curled to perfection. Her skin looks flawless even in the harsh lighting and her eyes are heavily lined and mascera-ed.

She takes a seat on the couch and the interview begins. She gushes about how excited she is and how her new music has a "more edgy, dance feel" to it and that she "can't wait to share it with the fans."

I know that's is the same thing that every artist says, myself included, but somehow it just sounds fake coming from her mouth. Maybe because she didn't actually write the music and seems to have no personal investment in it except the money and fame she gets.

Okay, maybe that's not fair. I don't really know her that well, but still… that's the impression I get from working with her. She doesn't seem to have a lot of knowledge about how music actually works besides standing in the booth and singing what she's told.

Mikayla babbles on for some more and they ask her about specific songs and whatever while I watch the hands on my watch tick.

'"Okay, Nick," the person who's coordinating the whole thing says, "We'll need some footage of you talking and then we'll have you and Mikayla in a few and then we want to get some raw footage of you guys recording just so we have some filler shots for the segment."

"Cool," I say because what else can I do? This is the job I decided to take. I sit down on the couch after Mikayla gets up and they start asking me prompt questions. That means the actual question won't be in the interview, they just want me to talk about the album and they'll weave it into something that makes sense. Most likely they'll try and twist my words around and make it seem like I'm saying stuff that I'm not which should be awesome.

"So Nick, what was it like working with Mikayla?"

"Oh it was great," I say with a tight smile, "She has a lot of energy that she brings to the studio. It was very exciting to work on this album with her."

"As a recording artist yourself, what was it like to be the producer?"

"It was definitely weird being behind the sound board instead of in the booth," I chuckle, "But it was a good experience for me to understand how the producer feels. I used to never understand why 'good enough' wasn't good enough, but now I know how it feels to want your artist to emit that perfect sound."

"So would you say Mikayla emits the perfect sound often?"

I freeze. Shit. I don't want to lie, but I can't say 'No, it takes forever to even get close' either. An awkward silence fills the room and a few people glance at Mikayla who is glaring at me.

"She improves every day," I finally say with a grin. They'll probably edit that part out anyway, but I can see Mikayla's publicist making frantic notes on her blackberry. Oops.

After more questions that I answer awkwardly cheerily, Mikayla sits down next to me.

"So what was is like working together?" the prompt asks.

"Oh it was fantastic," Mikayla gushes before I can get a word in, "Nick is sooo super talented and I'm so lucky to work with him."

"Yeah…" I say awkwardly, "It was really cool getting to work with Mikayla."

"Did this project bring you guys closer?"

"Well, Nick and I have been friends for a long time," Mikayla says, stressing the word 'friends' so it sounds like she doesn't mean friends at all. Here we go. More drama. Thank God I'm publically engaged otherwise I'd probably be forced to pretend that we're dating for PR.

"Yeah, being in the business, we run into each other at events and things," I clarify just to be spiteful.

"Nick and I definitely have a special bond," she says throwing her arm around me. Why won't she quit it? "He really understands me in the studio which is definitely important when it comes to a artist/producer relationship."

I try not to roll my eyes as she tightens her death grip on me. This is going to be a long night.

Much later as I go up the elevator to the penthouse I dread facing Miley. If she's even awake. I'm torn between hoping she's awake so I can at least see her and hoping that she's a sleep so I don't have to face her. Is she going to be pissed? I mean, I said I was going to be late, but I meant more like 10:30, not like 1AM.

"Miley?" I whisper softly, not wanting to disturb her if she is sleeping.

Curled up on the couch is Miley as soon as I make it into the living room. I smile at how cute she looks sleeping there, but then frown when I see what she's wearing. A pretty floral sundress and I can tell that there's makeup on her face. I pass her and then look into the dinning room.

My heart drops at the sight of the food on the table. She made dinner. There's even a glass of already poured wine at my seat. She waited up and dressed up and made dinner for me and I couldn't even call and tell her I was going to be even later than planned. I suck. Like really, really badly.

I look at the pasta dish and the chicken with the now-hardened cheese on it. It looks like it would've been good. I peek back into the living room and Miley is still sleeping. There's an empty wine glass on the coffee table next to her with the bottle next to it.

I decide not to wake her up just yet. I carefully and quietly clear the table and clean up the kitchen. I mean,.. it's the least I can do, right? And then if she's mad at me at least I did something right.

When I'm done, I finally approach her on the couch.

"Miley?" I say softly, sitting down next to her on the couch and resting my hand on her shoulder, "Mi, wake up."

She groans softly and shifts, but doesn't open her eyes.

"Come on, let's go to bed," I whisper, pushing the hair off her face.

Her eyes flicker open and meet mine.

"What time is it?" she asks with a yawn while stretching slightly in her seat.

"A little after one," I say nervously. Her eyes widen, but then go back to their normal state.

"Did you at least get a lot done?" she asks reaching a hand out to me to hoist her up all off the couch.

"Not at all," I confess, "She 'forgot' to tell me there was an MTV interview tonight. So, of course, nothing actually got done except PR."

"I'm sorry," she says genuinely, "Did you eat?"

Here it comes. The fight. Where she gets mad at me for not calling when she went through the effort to make dinner.

"Yeah, the record company supplied food for everyone…"

"That was nice of them…" she reaches over to the table and gets the wine glass and bottle that's sitting there. "I think I had a little too much," she says with a laugh, "Knocked me right out on the couch. That's why I prefer champagne."

Why is she so calm? Why isn't she angry? Hell, I would be angry if I was in her position.

I trail behind her as she walks towards the dinning room. She seems surprised to see it clean, but she doesn't say anything. The silence is making me nervous. Then she goes into the kitchen and puts the unfinished wine bottle in the fridge and puts her glass in the sink. I'm watching her carefully and I notice as her eyes check out the clean surfaces and the dishwasher that's clearly on.

"Did you clean up?" she says suddenly turning around to look at me.

"Yes?" I say confused still. Is this part of the argument? Should I be ready to defend myself?

"That was really sweet of you," she says surprising me and giving me a kiss on the cheek, "Are you ready for bed?"

She starts walking to the bedroom and I follow behind. She goes into the closet and I can hear her drawers being open and shut and a moment later she comes out in her pajamas. She gives me a quick smile before going into the bathroom. I hear the sink begin to run and I snap out of it and step out of my clothes, leaving my boxers on. Then I throw and undershirt on and head for the bathroom myself. She's standing there with her face free of makeup and a toothbrush sticking out of her mouth.

It's so normal except the fact that it's already morning. I'm still bracing myself for the blow up though. It has to happen soon. I start brushing my own teeth just as Miley spits and rinses her mouth and leaves the bathroom.

When I enter back into the bedroom she's already laying on her side of the bed. I turn the light off and then jump in next to her.

"Are you mad?" I whisper, the dark making me brave.

There's a pause.

"No, why would I be mad?"

"Because I was late and I didn't tell you."

She sighs and moves closer to me in the bed and brings her hand up to my face.

"But it was for work, right?"

I nod because I know she can feel it because her hand's on me.

"That's your job, Nick. You can't help it. I'd rather you be coming home late a few nights instead of being away from me all the time on a tour or whatever. I know this is a sacrifice for you and I'm not going to take advantage of that."

How is she so amazing? I place my hand over hers and bring her delicate fingers to my lips, kissing each one of them lightly.

"I love you," I murmur, "You're the best."

"I love you, too," she says and pulls her hand away from my mouth and replaces it with her lips.

I shift myself closer to her and place one hand on her waist while licking her bottom lip. Much to my disappointment though, she pulls away.

"Stop," she giggles, "I need sleep. I'm going into the studio with Jesse tomorrow."

"Oh I forgot," I say, "Do you want to carpool?"

"Carpool? Really?" she teases me, "But if you're offering me a ride, sure. As long as you're not going to be at the studio until 1 AM."

"I won't," I promise and she turns around to go to sleep. I pull her close to me though so that my body is spooning hers. Even though I'll probably only get a few hours of sleep tonight, I know they'll be good because I've got the love of my life right here with me.

**Sorry it's been a long time. I was on vacation then trying to get ready for college then trying to figure out college. Not so fun. I don't know if I like this update. I felt like the transitions were very awkward... but maybe it's because I'm not really into the groove of writing anymore. **

**I'd like to say that I'll update sooner next time, but I don't want to make any false promises. I really don't know how writing is going to go now that I'm in college. I guess we'll see. Please review even though it's been a while. Tell me what you liked and didn't like. I have most of the story planned out but there's always room for filler and such so if there's any little thing (not like a whole story line but like one scene or something) that you'd like to see, let me know.**

**Love you all for sticking with me xx **


	14. Chapter 14

**Okay, things to keep in mind... a) obviously i started writing this before Hannah Montana Forever so Jake never cheated on Miley, b) Mikayla is not equal to Selena, and c) Jesse is hot. Also, I completely stole We'll Be A Dream to be Jesse's (still nameless- ideas please) band's song with Miley. **

**Miley's POV**

I sigh as the minutes of the digital clock on the wall go from 59 back to 00. An hour of waiting for Nick to be finished for the day has gone by. An hour since he told me fifteen minutes, an hour since he gave me any kind of update and over an hour since I finished recording with Jesse and his band.

I hear a ruckus in the hall and look up from the lobby where I'm waiting. Nick told me I could wait in his office, but that would make me feel like I was locked up so no thanks.

"You're still here?" Kevin says with a confused look on his face as the rest of the band follows out of the recording studio they were in.

"Yeah, Nick's still working," I say with a small smile. I'm not mad. Seriously, I'm not. He said he would leave before one AM, not that he wouldn't finish up late. He just gets really intense in the studio. It's fine. I can wait.

"Well, you know how Nick gets," Kevin says shaking his head in a playful way at his brother's workaholic tendencies.

"Don't I ever," I joke back before Kevin excuses himself to go to his office. The rest of the band leaves, muttering goodbyes and goodnights until it's just Jesse and I left in the small lobby.

"Do you want a ride home?" he offers, swinging his keys around his finger. He has a black leather jacket on over the white t-shirt and jeans he was wearing in the studio and his Ray Ban sunglasses are hanging out of the pocket. He's always had such a bad boy image, which is funny considering how sweet I know he actually is.

"No, I couldn't-"

"You can," he says with a smile, "since when have you cared about inconveniencing someone? I still remember you calling me at 5am insisting that you had a song that you needed to get out and that you needed me to come to the studio with you."

"Hey!" I argue, "That was only because I thought you'd understand!"

"I did," he says easily, "So how about that ride?"

"I'm sure Nick will be done soon, it's really not necessary."

"With Mikayla, I'm sure he won't be done soon, let's face it, with his perfectionist attitude and her not-so-perfect voice they could be there all night."

I sigh because I know he's right. Nick's going to want to work until it's perfect and that might take a while. And what am I going to do here? Sit around and twiddle my thumbs? There's no point especially where there's a whole bunch of wedding stuff at home that needs to be sifted through. There are at least two catalogs with silverware and some napkin cloth samples and pictures of floral arrangements and I need to confirm my spa appointments for the day before the wedding. Plus I have to schedule an appointment for Lilly and Demi (my maid of honor and bridesmaid) to look at dresses. Danielle declined being a bridesmaid because she didn't want to be "immortalized as a fat pregnant woman" in the wedding pictures. I mean, I know the dress is my decision, but I would still really like their input. God knows Nick won't be any help with that kind of think. And the quicker they get fitted for the dresses the sooner we can get that out of the way and not have to worry about it. Also, I have my first dress fitting coming up and I'm supposed to let the designer know what kinds of dresses I'm looking for so she can have her people pull up some sample dresses. It's going to be custom made, but I want to try a few on before I commit to a design.

"Okay," I agree and shoot Nick a quick text to let him know that way I don't disturb him. We walk out of the studio to Jesse's car and he opens the door for me. I give him some simple instructions to get to the apartment and then relax into the worn leather seat of his car.

"Thank you so much, I really appreciate this," I tell him as we pull out of the studio parking lot.

"It's really not a problem," he insists, but I know for a fact that his place is practically in the other direction entirely. I would have argued more, but he's stubborn and he probably would have insisted on sitting with me until Nick was done or something like that.

"I just have so much work to do with the wedding and everything," I explain, "I don't think I realized how much detail goes into everything from the flowers to the silverware to the favors to the wedding dress. Maybe if I had I wouldn't have wanted it so soon," I joke with a laugh.

Jesse keeps staring ahead, "You're not doubting it, are you?"

"What?" I say surprised that he would come to that conclusion, "No, I just didn't realize how much work it was."

He shrugs, "I just think that if it's what you really want that it shouldn't feel like work… but what do I know."

"I like it," I tell him, "It's just not what I expected… I didn't realize how everything is a decision."

"I'm sure it will all turn out fine."

Silence fills the car. I'm not doubting Nick, am I? I mean, I know that he's been coming home late a lot recently and he's been really focused on work, but I'm not mad.

I can't be mad. It's not his fault. It's not like he wants to spend lots of quality time with Mikayla. I'm sure he'd rather be putting out his own music and going on a tour, but he's not for me and our wedding. It's not fair if I get mad at him for it. Sure, it's a little frustrating sometimes, but what can I do about it? Nothing. So there's no point in bringing it up or being upset.

"I didn't mean to upset you," Jesse says suddenly. I didn't even realize how deep in thought I was until his words startle me.

"I'm not upset," I say with a laugh that sounds weird even to my own ears, "I was just thinking."

"About Nick and Mikayla?"

"About Nick and _his job_," I say a little more forcefully than I meant to.

"Once again, I didn't mean to upset you."

"Sorry, I just… Nick's been working a lot and it's just hard having him here, but not having him actually be around."

"It's cool. For what it's worth, I can tell the kid really loves you and I can see he makes you happy."

"Thanks that really means a lot," I tell him as we turn onto my street, "Okay, it's that building up there with the street light right in front of it."

He pulls in and parks so I open the door and get out. Much to my surprise, Jesse gets out too.

"What are you doing?" I ask him confused.

"Making sure you get in okay," he explains with a smile as he falls into step next to me.

"Well the elevator goes right to the penthouse, so you don't have to walk me all the way up."

"The penthouse, huh?"

"Yeah… it was Nick's and I was living with Lilly so it just made more sense for me to move in with him…"

"Nice, well I guess this is goodbye then," he says.

"I guess, thank you so much for the ride," I say giving him a friendly hug. He squeezes me back and gives me a light kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you for doing this duet with us," he adds, "I know you didn't get to record vocals today, but I swear it's going to be sick especially with your voice."

"Well, thanks," I say blushing, I've never been able to take compliments well, "But you guys were the ones who wrote such an awesome song."

He waves it off like it's nothing and then the elevator arrives so I step on giving him a quick wave goodbye as the doors close.

When I get up to penthouse the first thing I want to do is put on comfy clothes, then I'm going to start going through the pictures of the silverware and place settings. Of course, I wouldn't pick one without Nick, but I can rule out some and pick some that I like so it will be easier when we both have time to sit down together and do it.

By the time Nick gets home I've already gone through the whole catalog three times and called Demi and Lilly to catch up (which, since we're girls, takes forever) and make plans for dresses. Then I browse the Internet for ideas on dresses. In other words, it's late. A little past 10 already, full four hours since he told me fifteen minutes.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he says as soon as he comes in the room. I close my laptop and set it down on the magazines next to me.

"Did you eat? I brought home your favorite," he with a hopeful look on his face as he holds up the takeout bag from the sushi place down the street.

"Thanks," I say and give him a small smile. It's just like him to do something nice for me when he thinks he's messed up. I walk into the kitchen and pull out placemats and set them on the dinning room table.

"It's just that for once Mikayla was killing it, she was nailing every note, don't ask me how, and I didn't want to stop. I just wanted to get more done. You know, I don't think she's that bad of a singer, she just hasn't been properly trained."

"Interesting," I mutter sarcastically to myself. But then I wonder why I'm being sarcastic and why I feel a teensy teensy bit jealous. That's just stupid. Just because he's not complaining about her for once doesn't mean he likes her or anything.

I sit down and Nick starts taking the cartons out of the bag, giving me my sushi and putting his in front of him and taking out the chopsticks.

"How did your recording session go?" Nick asks as we open up the food.

"It was good," I say with a smile, "But I don't think they really needed me today. We mostly just went over the sheet music and the band did some music recording. Mostly I just hung out."

"Are you going back tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I think so. But not until later in the day."

"Oh, okay," he says and starts eating.

"I went through some of the catalogs today," I say with a giggle, "I never knew there were so many variations of silverware and place settings."

"Wait, you looked at them without me?"

"Yeah I just looked though, I didn't pick anything out."

"Oh, were there any that you liked?"

"Honestly? They all kind of looked the same to me."

Nick lets out a laugh and it make me smile. He has such an adorable laugh.

"That's my girl," he says affectionately, "I knew you wouldn't turn into Bridezilla on me over all the details."

"Well, you know, there's still time for that," I tease him, "And I'm sure I'll be a wreck the day of."

"Ah, but I won't have to deal with you the day of until I see your beautiful self walking down that aisle."

I stick my tongue out at him and continue eating. I didn't realize it until Nick brought it home, but I was really craving sushi. Maybe we have some kind of mental connection and he knew that even before me.

"I really can't wait," he confesses, reaching out for my hand, which I give him, "I think about it all the time. Seeing you walk down the aisle in a white dress with your father, watching my mom cry from happiness, even dealing with Joe's constant teasing."

See what I mean? How could I possibly be mad at this guy? He's just as excited and ready as I am to be married. The guy is supposed to be the one who's all doubtful and not quite ready to settle, but we're both so ready for it. I swear we could elope tomorrow and be happy. Not that we will, I'm just saying."

"I think about it too," I say with a smile, "All the time."

He leans over the table and kisses me lightly on the lips.

"I love you."

"I love _you_."

"I love you more," he says with a playful smirk.

"Nope, not playing that game," I refuse, shaking my head.

"So you're saying that it's true, I do love you more?"

"No, Nick, I'm just-" I start but then I see that look on his face. I don't understand why he wants to argue about this, but clearly he thinks I'm going to give in. "Yep, that's exactly what I'm saying."

He pouts and sits back in his seat while I laugh at him. After a few more minutes we're done eating and we clean everything up.

"So what do you want to do now?" Nick whispers, coming up behind me as I finish washing my hands at the sink in the kitchen. His lips kiss the soft spot right behind my ear as his hands slide around to my hips.

"I don't know… I'm kind of tired," I tease him, backing away and heading for the bedroom.

"Oh, yeah, that's cool," Nick says seriously although he sounds disappointed. It takes everything in me not to laugh as I turn the corner.

"Hey, Nick?" I say once I'm out of sight.

"Yeah?" I pull my shirt off and poke my head back into the kitchen.

"I was just kidding," I say and fling my shirt in his face. It hits him perfectly and even gets stuck there for a moment so he has to pull it off his head.

It takes him a moment to realize what's in his hands, but once he does he's after me in a second and I'm running away from him. When I get to the bedroom, I turn around and close the door, pushing my back against it so he can't open it.

"Let me in," he says as he gets the door and starts shaking the handle.

"No," I cry childishly. Sometimes it's just so fun to tease him, I can't help it.

"Mi, we both know that your body against the door isn't going to be able to stop me, so I suggest you move away and let me come in."

I listen to him by moving away, but I don't say anything. I wait a few moments, but Nick doesn't seem to realize that I'm not holding the door anymore.

"Miley," he says in a warning tone and I giggle. He pushes the door open.

"You're a pain in the ass," he says rolling his eyes.

"But you love me…" I say in a singsong voice.

"That I do," he says, staring at me in my bra and cheer shorts that I changed into when I got home. Then without a warning, he comes at me and practically tackles me to the bed. But instead of kissing me or doing something that a normal guy would do, his fingers go to my sides, digging in and tickling me.

"Stop," I say trying to squirm away, but his knees press firmly on my sides holding me in place as his fingers run up and down them, "Don't you think… this is a bit… childish," I say in between bursts of laughter.

"Because locking me out wasn't childish?" he asks with a grin.

"I did not… lock you out," I gasp out, trying to push his hands away from me. He stops suddenly and grabs my wrists. My chest rises and falls heavily as I try to catch my breath. He places my hands on his waist under his shirt and then brings his own up to the collar and slowly pushes the first button through the loop. I watch him take of his own shirt, revealing his toned chest and stomach. I stare in awe at how hot he is. Then he grabs my hands again, putting them on his shoulders before leaning down so that we're nose to nose.

"Say that you love me," he says softly.

"I love you," I respond as my heart starts to beat even more rapidly.

"I love you more."

"Nick!" I say and slap his chest playfully while he just laughs and laughs. Soon I can't help but laugh too and even though he's an annoying pain in the ass, I can't imagine being any happier with anyone else.

Later the next day I pull my own car into the studio to work with Jesse and the rest of the band. Getting to sleep in was pretty awesome especially after last night with Nick.

When I get to the door of the studio that their band uses I knock twice and then step back. It opens up and I see Jesse standing there. When he lets me in I realize that we're the only ones in the room.

"Hey, where's everyone else?" I ask confused.

"Oh, it's actually our day off, but I figured we could use the rehearsal time, like just run through the song and stuff."

"Jesse, if it's your day off I don't want to-"

"It's fine," he interrupts me, "I want to do this. I can't wait to hear this song. It's going to be awesome."

He leads me into the sound booth that has a keyboard and an acoustic guitar in it. I take out the sheet music that I had in my bag, "I really like this song, Jesse. I think it's really sweet."

"Yeah?" he says his face brightening up, "There isn't anything you want to change or anything right? Because if there is we can try to incorporate it in… I mean I had to rewrite it as a duet so it might not be perfect…"

I laugh at how worked up he is, "No it's good, I like it. If I run into any problems with it, I'll let you know."

"Okay, so do you want to go over your verse?" he asks, "Or do you need a warm up?"

"A warm up would be good," I say with a smile, "I haven't sung professionally in a while now."

"I'm sure you'll be fine," he says as he starts to play some scales for me. After the brief warm up he stops playing, "Wow, do you have a pair of lungs on you."

"Thanks," I say blushing slightly. I never know how to take compliments like that. I mean it's kind of something that comes naturally for me, it's not like I have to work that hard to make such a big sound.

"Okay so these are the notes of your verse by yourself," he explains, playing the first line on the keys, "So this is the starting note," he plays it and I sing it and hold it, "Good."

He plays it again and this time I sing the words, "**Do you remember the nights we made our way dreaming?**"

"Perfect," he says and then we finish the rest of the verse.

"Okay, so now this is the part where we both sing so here's your notes," he plays the whole chorus with my notes, "And then I'll be here," he plays his and then mine again and we continue to practice.

"**He could be the one, he could be the one, he could be the one," **I sing after a few more hours of practice as Jesse plays the piano. I can't stop laughing though it comes out sounding pretty ridiculous. He stops playing and laughs along with me. I honestly can't remember how we got around to singing old Hannah songs, but we have. And it's pretty hilarious to be honest.

"I can't believe that's the first song we ever wrote together," he says shaking his head.

"Yeah, I think we've both come a long way since then," I joke.

"Definitely," he agrees, "Have you talked to Jake since… everything?"

"Not since we broke up," I admit, "I mean we were never 'just friends' so it's not like we could be. He went off to do his Hollywood thing and I went to school."

"Do you still think about him?"

I shake my head, "Not really. It's been years since then and I have Nick now. And, no offense, it's not like he's really relevant anymore."

"But you used to think he was The One."

I'm kind of irritated as his prying, but at the same time I know that he never got to hear the end of the story and he's probably just curious. I haven't talked to him since Hannah ended which was before Jake and I ended. When we were friends I always used to talk to him about Jake problems and we'd work them out through songs.

"I was so young then though," I reason, "I didn't know what that meant then."

"Have you dated a lot of guys since then?"

"Not seriously," I shrug, "I was in school and then I was working at E! which is when I met Nick…"

"So how do you know Nick is The One?" he interrupts me.

Okay. That was just unnecessary. I stand up from the piano bench.

"Do you have a problem with Nick?" I ask angrily, "Because if you do, say it now, don't just bad mouth him."

I should've known something was up when he asked me if I was doubting marrying Nick. I mean, what kind of person just _asks _something like that?

"Sorry, sorry, sorry," he says jumping up so he's standing in front of me, "I really didn't mean to offend you."

I cross my arms across my chest and wait for him to continue to explain himself.

"I mean, Miley, you haven't been with that many guys so how do you know there isn't someone better out there?"

"Nick is perfect. Nick loves me and he makes me happy and when we're together it's like everything is going to be okay. Who could possibly be better?"

"What about me?" he asks boldly, moving forward and putting a hand on my waist and pulling me closer to him.

"What?" I practically scream because I'm so appalled. That's what this whole thing was about? He _likes _me.

"Come on, Miley, you know there was chemistry between us. We never got our chance. But now we're both here in the same place again…"

"Jesse… I don't think so," I try to say as nicely as possible even though I don't think he really deserves it. What kind of person tries to get a girl to leave her fiancé?

"Haven't you ever wondered about it?" he asks desperately, "About what would have happened if you had let me kiss you? What it would have felt like?"

"I-" I hesitate. I mean of course I thought about it before but not recently. With Nick making me feel the way he does it's kind of hard to think about anyone else. So do I say yes, because I have, or say no, because I don't anymore?

As I'm thinking about it I fail to notice that he's pulled me even close so that we're almost touching and that I've uncrossed my arms. They're not touching him or anything, but they're not necessarily resisting him either.

"Jesse," I try again, 'that part of my life is over… I don't think about it anymore."

"But _have _you?" he asks again.

"Y-yes," I stutter out as his breath hits my face. His skin is so flawless even from this close and his soft brown eyes are burning into my own. It feels weird to be this close to someone who's not Nick. Not necessarily bad, just… weird.

"So have I," he admits, "So why don't we see if it lives up to our thoughts?"

**:O been a while since i've done a cliffhanger. don't kill me. i love you, i swear. haha**


	15. Chapter 15

**Nick's POV**

"Nothing happened," she says for the millionth time since we've gotten home. And I believe her, I do, but that doesn't mean that something _wouldn't _have happened.

It was pretty surprising to walk into the recording studio to surprise Mi to see her and Jesse standing awfully close to each other. Also his arms were around her. Of course she had backed away and then ran up to me and gave me a huge hug and a kiss, but still. Something was definitely going on that I don't know about.

"You're being real mature, Nick," she says suddenly angry, "ignoring me like this when I haven't-"

"Can you just stop?" I cut her off coldly. I just need to think and wrap my mind around it and she's not giving me any space.

"Can you just _listen?_" she counters.

"I am listening," I insist, "Nothing happened, I get that."

"So then why are you acting like this?"

"Acting like what? Like I just caught my fiancé with another guy?" I snap at her. I don't want to fight. I really don't. But she's been non-stop in my face about this since it happened. I came by her studio to say that I had finished early for the day. After leaving Jesse she told me that she was done too and left without a second glance at him. We drove home separately, but now that we're here it's like she won't stop. In fact the more that she keeps insisting nothing happened, the less I believe it.

"But we weren't doing anything!" she cries, "It's not like we were hooking up or something. We were just working on our song!"

"Okay."

She groans in frustration. I don't know what she wants from me. I'm agreeing with her.

"Why won't you just talk to me?"

"What's there to talk about if nothing happened?" I shoot back.

She runs her hand through her hair and shakes her head.

"Well, when you're done acting all removed and disinterested, let me know. In the meantime I'm making tacos for dinner, is that okay?"

"Yeah, that's fine," I tell her and then sit down on the couch and turn the television on. There are no good sports games on but I turn it to ESPN anyway. I think they're playing some re-run of an important game or something, but honestly my mind is a million miles away.

Miley would tell me if something happened. I know that she would and I trust her, I really do. I know that she loves me and that I love her so then why is this Jesse guy getting in the way?

I mean he's a good-looking guy, I guess. From a man's perspective, of course. And even though they kind of had a thing Miley said that she didn't like him like that.

But she almost kissed him before when she was with someone.

The thought pops into my head before I can push it away. But she didn't, I argue with myself. But maybe she has regretted not doing it since then. This is so messed up. Why don't I just ask her to explain what was going on?

Oh, duh. Why didn't I think of that at first? I'm an idiot. I guess I'll blame it on the fact that I'm a guy. We always forget that talking is good.

"Mi-" I say going into the kitchen, but I freeze in the doorway when I hear a sniffle. She didn't hear me and it doesn't take a genius to know that she's crying.

"Baby, what's wrong?" I ask walking into the room and forgetting about everything else that happened earlier. I still don't want to see her crying, ever.

She wipes her eyes and then turns around, "Nothing."

She walks over to the fridge and pulls something out and sets it on the counter and then goes to the stove to turn the ground beef that's cooking there.

"You're crying."

"I'm not," she protests which is stupid. I mean she sounds all congested and her eyes are red. I'm not dumb. I can put two and two together.

"Babe, I can tell when you're crying. Do you want to talk about it?"

"Oh so _now _you want to talk?"

Ouch. But I guess I deserved that one.

"If Jesse did something to make you upset-"

"Jesse didn't upset me," she interrupts me, "_You_ did."

Stay calm, Nick. Just talk this one out with her. Remember there's no reason to fight even if she's practically begging for one right now.

"Okay, how did I upset you?"

She's rushing around the kitchen in a hurry, cutting and chopping things and checking on the meat and the taco shells in the oven, but that doesn't stop her from answering me.

"It's like you don't even _care_," she complains, "You walk in on me and Jesse, not that we did anything, and then instead of doing the mature thing which would be to ask me what happened you just ignore it and pretend it didn't happen. Then when I call you out on it, you get all pissy about walking in on me with another guy. You make NO sense."

"I'm sorry," I apologize. That's the first step. "I just didn't want to think about it. But I realize that was wrong. Do you want to tell me about the studio?"

She freezes for a moment so I go over and turn the stove down to a lower setting.

"How about we go sit in the living room?"

She agrees and I lead the way, turning off the TV when I get there. I sit down on the couch and she does the same. For a moment she just plays with her hand and as agonizing as that is I have to give her time to talk.

"Jesse likes me," she blurts out suddenly and I know that she doesn't mean like as in a friend. That son of a- then again, who could blame him? Miley is pretty amazing. But he should know better than to like a girl that's taken and apparently he has done it twice to the same girl.

"Don't be mad, Nick," she says quietly.

Then don't give me a reason to be mad, Miley. But I don't say that of course.

"He just… he wanted to know if I ever thought about the time that we almost kissed when I was with Jake."

What the hell? This guy sounds like a douche. Who asks a girl something like that when she's engaged?

"And what did you tell him?"

"Well I used to sometimes… before. Like when Jake and I were fighting and stuff. So I told him yes and then he said he had too and he asked if I wanted to find out if it was anything like what we thought about…"

I realize that I'm clenching my hands into fists. Fuck, that guy needs to be taught a lesson. You do not go hitting on girls who have fiancés, especially ones whose brother can practically make or break the album that you've been working so hard for.

"And then you walked in the room," she finishes, dropping her hands to her sides.

It takes everything in me to ask the next question. But it has to be done. I don't want anything between us.

"Did you want to kiss him?"

She hesitates for a moment and I swear my heart has stopped. I need her to say something, now, before I freak out.

"Jesse is… he's nice and yes, he's good-looking," she starts out. Dammit Miley, just tell me if you wanted to or not.

"But he's not you. I don't want him. I don't want to know what it's like to kiss him because in the end I know it will be nothing like how it is with you. You have my heart, Nick. All of it."

I sigh in relief and put my arms around her, pulling her closer to me on the couch. Her head finds that spot where it fits perfectly on my shoulder and I can feel her soft skin on my neck. It's kind of an awkward angle because we're both sitting forward so I bring my hand under her knees and pull her onto my lap. Her arms wrap around my neck and I hold her even tighter. It takes a moment for me to realize that she's crying again.

"Hey," I say moving away slightly so I can see her face, "No more tears."

"I'm just really emotional," she says with a laugh as she wipes away her tears. She looks around the room at all the wedding catalogs and shakes her head. "Do you think we should start doing some of this?"

I know she's trying to change the subject, but I don't mind. If she wants to talk about it, she will and if she wants to talk about the wedding, even better.

"Probably…" I say, glad that we've overcome this incident. I don't think I could handle losing her at this point. "How about we take them into the dinning room and look at them while we eat?"

Ten minutes later, we're sitting at the table eating tacos and looking at a catalog full of places. Literally. Like it's just pages of plates for the dinner reception. Please kill me. I don't want to do this. Okay, well I do want to plan the wedding, but I don't want to be tortured by looking at plates for hours. I mean who really cares? All you do is eat off them.

"These two look exactly the same," I insist, pointing to two white plates beside each other.

Miley shakes her head, "No that one has a woven pattern around the rim. It's just hard to tell with the lighting in the picture."

I groan, "I don't even know what that means."

"That's because you're a boy," she teases and turns the page again, "Oh, look at that one!" She points to a white plate with a black rim. "And then with one like this on top…" she turns the page to another and points to a smaller navy blue plate with silver detailing.

"Yeah, that's cool," I nod. Honestly, I don't really care. We could be eating off paper plates and I wouldn't care.

"Are you just saying that?" she accuses, looking up from the catalog to look me straight in the eyes.

"No," I lie, "I really like it."

She glares at me, "No, you don't."

"I do!" I insist. Crap, is she mad at me? Should I start apologizing or something?

Then she bursts into laughter. What the hell? This girl is crazy.

"I can tell by your face you don't care, Nick," she says with another laugh, "You don't have to lie to me. I might be kind of worried about you if you were obsessing over place settings."

"Ha-ha," I say sarcastically and then lean in and kiss her nose. She crinkles it and winks. It's so cute that I can't help the laugh that escapes my mouth. Actually, it's kind of a giggle, which is really embarrassing and not manly at all. But then again, it's Miley, what's the big deal?

"You're cute," I tell her.

"No, _you're_ cute," she counters, picking up a pen to circle the plates she likes before dog earring the pages.

"No, you," I lean in and rub my nose against hers. Then I tilt my head to capture her lips with my own.

"You know we should probably clean up before we start this," she says glancing down at the food on the table. I choose to ignore her though and press my mouth against hers giving her a passionate kiss. She kisses back for a moment and then pulls away with a smirk.

"Or not," she says and then gets up and grabs my hand before leading me into the bedroom.

"So you can't some how mess up their album?" I say jokingly after telling Kevin the drama that went down yesterday.

He shakes his head, "No, but that's messed up, dude."

He's sitting in his seat in front of the soundboard while I'm on the couch in the recording booth. The band isn't here yet and neither is Mikayla, but Kevin and I are already.

"I still can't believe it," Kevin says shaking his head, "He seems like such a good guy."

"Yeah, but apparently he's just a home wrecker who-"

"Woah, calm down there," Kevin interrupts, "Listen, I know it sucks, but you've got to play it cool. Miley obviously doesn't want him so you have to let it go. Is she still doing the duet?"

I scowl. Unfortunately, yes, she's still doing the duet. She insisted that she had to follow through. Whatever.

Okay, actually it makes perfect sense and I would do the same thing in her situation. But it doesn't mean I have to like it.

"Yeah, but no more little private sessions. You'll keep an eye on him, right?" I ask my oldest brother. I mean, he's supposed to protect me, right? I think this counts.

He looks at me dubiously, "I don't know Nick… I mean Jesse's my artist… I don't know if this is my place to be in his personal life…"

"And I'm your _brother _," I argue with him.

"Okay, if some thing seems fishy, I'll try to stop it. Otherwise you know I have to pretend that I don't know anything," Kevin agrees with a sigh.

"Thanks man," I say with a genuine smile just as there's a knock on the door and it opens. Jesse's head pops in and the rest of the band is behind him.

"Hey Kev, Nick," he says nodding at both of us, "We're not interrupting are we?"

How can he stand there and sound so innocent? He probably thought Miley wouldn't mention it. But last night after we, you know, she told me the whole story including how he kept trying to imply our relationship wasn't right. He obviously underestimated our relationship. Suck on that.

"Nope," I say standing up, "I was just leaving."

I make a point of bumping my shoulder against Jesse's as I walk out the door. I don't care if it's immature. I vaguely hear him saying "O-kay, then" as I head down the hallway to the studio that Mikayla and I usually use. She's usually late so I don't really bother rushing or anything, but surprisingly when I get there Mikayla's already in the studio.

"Hey!" she says with a smile, "I was wondering where you were."

"Oh sorry," I mumble, "I was just talking to Kevin."

"It's fine," she assures me, "So we've just got one more song to do today, right?"

"Yeah, that's right, you ready to get in the booth?"

I can't pretend that I'm not excited for this run with Mikayla to be over. After that I have two weeks of vacation time and then I have to do finishing touches on this album. Then I'll probably do some more producing. Hopefully with a legitimate artist this time, but beggars can't be choosers. Maybe Miley and I can go on vacation for a little bit next week. Except she probably has to record. I bet Jesse will make every excuse to make her stay there longer so that he can keep talking bad about me.

I'm so caught in my thoughts that I don't even notice when the track is over and Mikayla's done singing. I didn't even mean for her to go through the whole song.

"How was that take?" Mikayla asks hopefully. Crap, I wasn't even listening. I'm just going to assume that it could be better. Maybe that's wrong, but given the past few weeks I've been working with her, I don't think it's an unsafe assumption.

"Let's try it again," I say to her and then start the track over again. I check the time on my watch. Miley should be coming into the studio soon. She's recording her vocals today. Maybe we can go out for lunch. Unless of course Jesse asks her first… and of course she'll say yes because she's too nice not to. And while they're at lunch I'm sure he'll-

"Nick?"

I groan. God, Mikayla, can't you do anything by yourself?

"What?" I say sounding a little nastier than I mean to.

"Are you even _listening_?" she says in her shrill voice. She crosses her arms over her red v-neck shirt and glares at me.

"Yeah, of course," I lie, "You're doing great."

"Nick, I've been singing the lyrics to 'Mary Had A Little Lamb' and you haven't even noticed."

I blush. Dammit. Caught in the act. And now I feel like an asshole.

"I'm sorry," I say sincerely, "I just have a lot on my mind lately."

"Miley?" she asks, uncrossing her arms and tilting her head to the side.

"Not exactly," I say coolly, my defensive side coming in. No way am I going to spill my guts to Mikayla. She'll probably take it to a magazine or something.

"Well, I don't want it messing you up," she tells me, putting her own cold act on, "So if it's going to affect our studio time I suggest you either take care of it or forget it."

The worst part is, I know she's right. This is work and I shouldn't be letting Jesse and his stupidity bother me.

"You're right," I say with a sigh and she gives me a surprised look, "Let's try this again and this time with the right lyrics." I smirk at her.

She laughs and shakes her head, but gets ready to sing as I start up the music. No more thinking about Miley and Jesse. I need to concentrate on this and get it done. Then I can obsess over it all I want.

A few hours and a few breaks later, Mikayla belts out the last notes of the hook to the last song. She nails it. This is the last part we had to work on. There's a tricky note progression at the end, but she got it this time. I stop the track and she looks at me expectantly. I keep her in suspense for a moment before breaking out into a smile.

"Perfect, that's a wrap," I say and she takes off her headphones and smiles.

"We did it!" she says excitedly, "We did it!"

She runs out of the booth with a big smile and launches herself into my arms. I laugh and hug her back. It is kind of a big occasion. I can't help but smile also.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she shouts excitedly and then before I even realize what's happening she places a kiss straight on my lips. My hands fall from her waist and I step back. She just kissed me. Maybe she didn't mean to. Maybe she just missed my cheek. I don't really know what to think.

"Oops," she says with a laugh, blowing it off completely. I relax. Obviously she didn't mean to do that. She was just excited and yeah…

"So how about we go and celebrate?" Mikayla asks, tossing her dark hair over her shoulder, "My treat! It's the least I can do with you having to put up with me this whole time."

Oh, if only she knew what I had to put up with.

"I don't know," I say as we both leave the studio and walk down the hallway, "I don't really know what Miley's up to…"

Just then we hear an obnoxious burst of laughter that no one would mistake for anyone other than Miley.

"She seems kind of busy," Mikayla comments, "Come on, Nick. It's early. I want to celebrate finishing my album with my amazing producer. We can just grab drinks or maybe a quick bite to eat and you'll be back to Miley in no time. Remember… my treat."

The sound of laughter comes from behind the door again. I look at it and then at Mikayla who is looking at me hopefully. It would probably be rude not to celebrate with her. One drink should be fine, right? I'll probably even be home before Miley is.

"Okay, sounds good," I say with a smile and follow her out of the studio.

* * *

** not really feeling this chapter. feels like it's missing something. it's just getting harder to get to where i want to go with it. i feel like i messed up somewhere and it's really unlike how i had originally planned it out. but i mean as long as you guys keep reading and reviewing, i'll keep writing. i've been thinking about (after this story) bringing back the sequel to The Darker the Secret if I feel like I have time. That's my favorite story that I've written and I actually have a whole outline for a sequel written out. I like MBWP and JLAD, but they're so... happy. haha... I want to get back into dramatic writing. Really not sure what's going on with TMUP... it's just not coming out how I wanted it to. I don't want to delete it (again), but I'm really struggling. **

**Well, there's my update. Please review with any thoughts about where this story is going or about any of my others. You can review anonymously if you think I might be offended (although I'll try not to be). Love you guys.**

**xx Sarah**


	16. Chapter 16

****Just a friendly reminder that you can review anonymously without an account...****

**Miley's POV**

"Good job, Miley," Kevin says clapping his hands as I walk out of the studio, "You did a great job today. I think that's all the takes we need, but if I'll let you know if you need to come in again."

"Thanks," I say with a smile as the rest of the band nods in agreement. It was fun being in the studio with the guys. They're all kind of crazy and hilarious at the same time. It was a little weird being with Jesse, but since we were all together it wasn't that awkward.

"We've only got about ten minutes left in the studio," Kevin adds, "Why don't we just call it a day?"

The boys cheer and I laugh at their enthusiasm. I'm sure it wasn't that fun for them to mostly just watch Jesse and me sing. They have some harmony parts too, but they weren't all that complicated.

We all gather our stuff and say our goodbyes while Kevin handles some other business. Then I go out to my car in the parking lot and get in. It's really hot so once I turn on the car, I roll down the windows to let some of the hot air escape.

"Hey."

I almost jump out of my seat when I hear Jesse. Somehow he managed to sneak up right next to my window.

"Hi," I say casually trying not to sound annoyed or nervous. I don't want to give him any ideas that anything that happened yesterday affected me. Because it didn't.

"Can we talk?"

"I guess," I agree (because I can't exactly say no) and then get out of the vehicle so we can talk face to face.

"Listen about yesterday..."

"That was really inappropriate, Jesse," I cut him off and cross my arms.

"Miley, I just need you to know how I feel so that you don't make the wrong decision..."

"I'm happy. I don't regret not choosing you before because somehow that choice brought me to Nick. And I know I'm not going to regret not choosing you now. I'm getting married to the love of my life," I put up my hand and show him my ring for emphasis, "And you need to understand that."

"I just... Miles... don't you get it.. I've never felt this way about a girl. I love you."

"You _don't_," I argue, "If you did love me you'd respect me and you'd respect the man I love and the commitment we've made to each other and you wouldn't try to get in between us."

I turn around and get back in my car and slam the door.

"Come on, Miley, wait..."

"No," I say as I put the car in park and back out, "One more thing though... for your own sake I'd say stay out of Nick's way. He knows everything. That's the kind of relationship we have."

Then I roll up the windows and speed off. Well, not speed. I do the legal limit. I feel like I'm flying though. It feels good to tell Jesse off. I admit I was a little thrown off by him last time, but I know that I don't want him. I can't wait to go home and tell Nick. I can already picture the grin on his face and the way he'll laugh at me threatening Jesse by telling him not to stay out of Nick's way.

But when I get to the penthouse I'm surprised that Nick's car's not there and neither is he. That's weird. I wonder where he could be. I pull out my phone and send him a quick text asking him where he is. Then I go into our bedroom and get ready to take a shower.

After freshening up, I check my phone again. Still nothing. That's really weird, I hope nothing's wrong. Maybe Joe knows where he is. I try Joe's cell, but he doesn't pick up. I guess I'll try Demi now, Joe practically lives at her house anyway. I don't know why they don't just make it official and move in together, but one issue at a time.

"Hey girl," Demi answers just as it's about to go to voicemail. She sounds all out of breath.

"I'm not interrupting something, am I?" I ask with a giggle as I lay back on the bed.

"Oh God, no," Demi says disgusted, "I was just in the middle of a dance workout DVD."

"So, I take it Joe isn't there."

"Nah, he's shooting a night scene tonight so he won't be in until early in the morning," she says, "Thought I'd do a little me time. So why are you looking for Joe?"

"I'm not, actually I'm looking for Nick and I hoped Joe would know where he is," I explain.

"Oh well-" Demi starts but then the phone beeps in my ear.

"Wait one second… I think that's a text from Nick." I take the phone away from my ear and check it. Sure enough there's a text from Nick: **Sorry, business dinner. See you later tonight?**

I shoot him a quick text back letting him know I got the message.

"Okay, sorry, Demi… that was Nick. He has a business dinner… so lame." I roll my eyes even though I know Demi can't see me.

"So it looks like we're both alone… without our men," she sighs dramatically. I feel a smile creeping on my face.

"Hmm… I guess so," I add, knowing what she's hinting at.

"How about you come over and turn me time into we time? Order some sushi, maybe get some sake?" she says temptingly.

"I'll be over in five."

"Oh, my God!" Demi exclaims after a few sushi rolls and some sake, "Jesse _said_ that to you? 'Well, let's find out' that's like a line from a freaking movie."

I cover my flushed face with my hands, "I know and I just stood there like an idiot, speechless until Nick came in."

"I bet he freaked."

"A little… but he was surprisingly mature about it in the end," I assure her.

"Nick… being mature about a problem? Wow, you really are changing him."

"Shut up," I say and reach behind me to throw one of the pillows on the couch at her. We're both sitting on the floor in front of her coffee table with our food in front of us. I think some stupid movie is on the TV, but we're too busy catching up to notice.

"So are you excited to try on wedding dresses?"

"Definitely… it's coming up so fast… Denise is flying in next Thursday. I just sent the wedding planner some ideas for dresses so the designer can pull some samples. It's so surreal."

"I can't wait. I love weddings. I'm going to cry… but hint, hint I'd _really _like to know what my bridesmaid dress looks like."

"We'll make an appointment with the designer when we go to get my dress," I promise, "I've just been kind of overwhelmed with all the details. But I think we have most of the reception figured out."

"That's good. You know, Lilly and I still have to plan your bachelorette party," Demi says with a mischievous grin.

"Nothing too crazy, please… remember Danielle is going to be super pregnant at this point, I doubt she'll be up for a night out."

"But we could always hang out with her first and then go out…"

"Isn't this supposed to be a surprise?" I ask with a grin.

"I'm just bouncing some ideas off of you… how do you feel about strippers?" she raises an eyebrow.

I snort, "Maybe you should ask Nick how he feels about that."

"What you think Joe isn't planning on getting some strippers for the boys?"

"Yeah, but can you imagine Nick at a strip joint," I shake my head, "So awkward."

Demi laughs loudly, "Okay, fair enough. Looks like you need some more sake."

"I think I'm getting a little tipsy," I say holding out my glass for her to pour me some more. Two small girls with one bottle of alcohol is probably not the best idea. Maybe Nick can pick me up on the way home from his thing. Otherwise it looks like I'm spending the night.

A few more drinks and a lot more laughs later, my phone is ringing. It's probably Nick since it's getting pretty late so I get up to check it. When I read the screen though, it's a restricted number. Huh, that's weird. I pick it up though anyway.

"Hello?"

"Hello," a man's voice says on the line, "May I please speak to Miley Stewart?"

"This is she," I reply putting on a smart voice.

"This is the LAPD," he says, "I take it you are the fiancé of a Mr. Nicholas Jonas?"

My heart drops. Oh, my God, what happened to him? Wait, do the police call if there's a car accident or is that the hospital? I manage to give him an affirmative answer.

"I'm sorry, miss, but we pulled Mr. Jonas over and his blood alcohol level was a bit over the legal limit. You can come bail him out, otherwise he'll have to stay incarcerated for twenty-four hours."

My mind is reeling and the two glasses too many that I had isn't helping. Even if I wanted to pick up him up now, I'm in no condition to do so.

"Leave him there," I say and then hang up.

"Whoa, no one told me we were having a sleepover party!"

I groan and roll over on the couch, trying to block out the voice that is obnoxiously chipper for six AM.

"Go away, Joe, I'm sleeping."

"Then how are you talking?" he asks, sounding like a child.

"Ugh…" I get up and see Joe handing me a water bottle.

"Wasn't hard to figure out you would need this once I saw the empty bottle on the counter."

"Where's Demi?" I ask as I take the water bottle and take a few large gulps. I don't feel that bad, but the water is definitely appreciated.

"Sleeping like a baby in her room. You are much easier to wake up in the morning."

I look at the table and see my phone and last night rushes back.

"Shit, Joe… I need you to do me a favor."

"Oh what, letting you sleep on my couch wasn't enough?"

"Hey, you don't _actually _live here, but seriously…. You need to pick up Nick from the police station."

"What?" Joe exclaims, "Please explain."

"Honestly, I'd love an explanation too… all I know is that me going down there probably wouldn't be the best idea. I don't know how much the media does or doesn't know so I'm going to have to talk to our publicist. I'll meet you at the penthouse?"

Joe throws up his hands in surrender, "Alright, I'll go. I had way too much coffee on set anyway. I'm totally wired."

"Thank you so much," I say and give him a quick hug before getting my stuff together and driving home.

Luckily Nick has an otherwise impeccable record so our publicist doesn't think there will be too much of a problem when the news breaks as it always does in Hollywood. Most likely, Nick will just have to issue an apology and do a public service announcement or something, so at least that crisis is averted.

I can't help but wonder how Nick managed to get above the legal limit at a business meeting. I mean even on our casual nights out he always keeps it in check. But there's no point in getting upset or anything. At least until Nick explains. Joe text me to let me know that they were leaving the station and it's not that far away.

I start up some bacon and pancakes in the kitchen. It's the least I can do, for Joe and for Nick. I'm sure Nick had a rough sleepless night so while I'm waiting for the bacon to heat up, I turn down the sheets on our bed. I go to close the shades and I see Joe's car pulling in so I head for the shower and turn it on so the water's already hot when Nick gets up here.

I walk back into the kitchen and flip the bacon just as the elevator door opens. I walk out to greet the boys.

Nick looks miserable. His button up shirt is undone showing off his undershirt and his belt is in his hand. He has bags under his eyes and he looks super pale.

"Mi," he says as soon as he sees me, "I'm so, so sorry… I don't know what I was-"

"We'll talk later," I say and reach out to give him a hug, "The shower's already going at the perfect temperature… why don't you freshen up while I finish breakfast?"

"Breakfast?" Joe says eagerly while Nick walks like a zombie into the bedroom, "Do I get some?"

"Of course," I say leading him into the kitchen where the bacon is done. A little crispy, but hey, I did my best. I put it all on a plate and put it on the island before starting the pancakes. While they're cooking I get everything else out including plates and silverware.

Once I've cooked a good amount and Joe is already scarfing them down, I excuse myself to go check on Nick.

"Nick, the pancakes are-" I'm interrupted when I see Nick basically passed out on the bed. Poor boy. He's had a hard night. I decide to let him rest and then talk to him later. I have a meeting with my manager later so I have to get ready. I find a black pencil skirt and slip it on. Now I just have to find my favorite white blouse. I know I picked it up from the dry cleaners earlier this week. It's my favorite business ensemble so I made sure I'd have it for today. Nothing like a pencil skirt with a tucked in blouse, it's a classic.

Maybe it's in the other room where half of my clothes are. I might have dropped it off there if there wasn't enough room in the closet in our bedroom. So I walk out to go check.

I realize when I walk into the extra bedroom that I really need to start getting rid of stuff. I mean Nick's closet is inadequate, but this is really too much clothes. I start sorting through it all and I'm starting to get frustrated.

"Looking for this?" Nick asks from the doorway, holding up the shirt. How did he even find that? And when did he wake up?

"I've been looking for that for ages!" I cry, "How did you find it?"

"It was right here on the back of the door."

"Well, you know…," I say feeling a little stupid that I didn't see it, "if your closet were bigger that wouldn't have happened."

"It's not a big deal, Miley."

"Yeah, I know… How about if I ask my assistant to start looking to see if there are any houses on the market? I mean, we can't just live in your bachelor pad forever."

"I like the penthouse!" Nick argues, "I don't think that's a good idea."

"Nick, I want a big closet where ALL my clothes fit! What about when we have kids? Are they going to live in this room with all these racks of clothes? God, why are you so irresponsible?"

"I'm just going to let myself out," Joe calls from the living room. I think he can hear our fight. "Thanks for breakfast."

"We aren't talking about the penthouse anymore, are we?" Nick asks. I look up at him and he runs a hand through his hair and moves into the room closer to me. I don't answer him, but I do take the shirt from him and tug it on.

"Okay, listen…" Nick says, "I know I messed up, but I didn't mean to. I honestly didn't think I was that bad."

"I just don't really understand how you managed to get drunk at a business dinner," I explain. I walk out of the room to go get my shoes from the bedroom.

"I don't know… I guess the waiter just kept pouring and I didn't realize how much I had. Mi, you know this isn't me."

"I know, I'm not mad," I admit, sliding on my shoes, "But I have this meeting I need to go to, so you stay here and rest up and we'll talk more when I get home, okay?"

I drive over to my manager's office and almost the second I get out of the car the paparazzi are everywhere.

"Miley! Miley! Miley!" they all yell as their camera's flash. I give them a polite smile and then start walking to the building.

"How's Nick, Miley?"

"Has Nick been hiding his alcoholism all this time?"  
"Is Nick going to rehab?"

I inwardly groan, guess the paparazzi found out about Nick. I ignore their questions and just go in the door to my meeting.

The meeting is pretty standard. My manager tells me about some charity shows coming up that I agree to perform at and also hints at maybe starting a second record and I tell her I'll think about it, but that the wedding stuff is pretty time consuming. But when I leave her office I run into someone surprising.

"Hey, Miley!" Mikayla cries and pulls me into a hug. I awkwardly hug her back. God, why is this girl so perky now when she sees me? I make a move to go around her, but then she speaks up.

"That's too bad about, Nick," she says, lowering her voice to a whisper as if we're conspiring together, "You know, I told him to stop, but he just kept pouring more wine. You should really consider getting him help for his problem."

I stare at her blankly. What is she talking about? What does she mean she told him to stop?

"Oh!" she says taking in my face, "Nick didn't tell you we went out last night?"

I just stare at her again. She's not lying, right? I mean I wouldn't put it past her to try and manipulate me again.

"Oh, this is awkward…" she says with a fake laugh, "Well, don't worry nothing happened we were just celebrating our album."

Although I believe her on that part, I can't help but notice the way her tone is trying to imply that something did happened. Wow she is so pathetic.

"Listen, Miley," Mikayla comes closer and puts a hand on my shoulder, "I know a few discrete rehab centers. I could give you the numbers if you want to try and schedule and intervention for Nick's problem… It's really nothing to be ashamed of. It's not your fault that he turned to alcohol."

"His only problem is you," I snap at her and move away, "I know Nick better than you ever will, Mikayla. So if you think you can just come in here and try to make me think he has a drinking problem and that he's cheating on me, you can think again."

Her eyes go wide as she stares at me in shock and for a moment I think I've got it wrong. But then I imagine Nick on all our dates and Mikayla trying to get into my head in the studio all those months ago.

"Can't you get it through your head?" I continue, "Nick doesn't want you. Get over it. Stop trying to break us up."

Maybe I'm being harsh, but this girl needs to take a hint. I'm afraid she's going to cry and then I'm going to feel like a bully, but then he does something surprising and laughs.

"You think I _like_ Nick?" she says after she's done cackling, "Nick is about as interesting as a brick wall. But you know he brings good publicity and that's what I'm after."

I just stare at her. I don't even know what to say to that. I mean, I guess he does bring a lot of attention, but personally I find that one of the most annoying things about him, not a reason to hang out with him. This girl has seriously got it messed up.

"You got him drunk for publicity?" I blow up at her, "Did you even think about what that would mean for him? Or what if he, God forbid, had gotten into an accident? What if someone got hurt? Are you seriously that selfish?"

She crosses her arms defensively, "Hey, I didn't make him drive, that was his choice."

"Oh, yeah, I'm sure you were just begging him to take a taxi," I say sarcastically, "Whatever it takes to get your name in the magazines, right?"

Mikaya just glares at me because she doesn't even have anything to say. Now it's time to give the last word and walk away.

"Just stay away from Nick," I threaten, "And try getting your publicity for actually being good at something other than clinging onto people."

With that, I walk away from her and out of the building. My second tell-off in twenty-four hours, nice. I can't pretend it doesn't feel good though. The paparazzi are still waiting outside, but I completely ignore them as I get in the car and drive home.

Nick is still sleeping when I get home so I decide to start some laundry and clean up the kitchen a bit. I'm riffiling through the fridge looking for something to make for lunch when I hear footsteps coming into the kitchen.

"Oh, look who decided to wake up," I tease as I turn around and see Nick still in his pajama pants with his hair all messed up.

"Yeah, sorry, I was pretty tired," he says still in his sleepy voice.

"No, it's fine. Are you okay with just making sandwiches for lunch? Or do you want me to go pick something up? Or I could make pasta or something quick…"

"Sandwiches are perfect," he assures me and then comes over to the fridge to help me get all the stuff out.

"How was your meeting?" he asks me once everything is on the counter and we're each constructing our sandwiches.

"Good… I was asked to do that charity show coming up next month, you know the cancer one."

"That's awesome, Mi," he says proudly, "That's a pretty big deal."

"I guess," I say blushing, "But, more interestingly, as I was coming out of my meeting I saw Mikayla."

I sneak a glance at him and I notice he stiffens.

"I didn't realize you two went on business dinners."

"Come on, Mi… you know nothing happened between us. She just wanted to go out because we finished her record and how was I supposed to say no?"

"You don't get it do you?" I say frustrated as I slam the top piece of bread onto my sandwich and then start putting the stuff away.

"Get what?" he asks staring at me confused.

"It's not about what did or didn't happen between you and Mikayla. It's the fact that you didn't tell me," I decide to explain instead of playing the 'guess why I'm mad' game. Knowing Nick that game could last up until our wedding if I don't spell it out for him.

"Well, were you going to tell me about Jesse if I didn't walk in?"

I slam the fridge closed and glare at him, "what does that have to do with anything? We're talking about you here, not me."

"It was just a question. I'm just looking for an _honest _answer."

I blow past him, rolling my eyes and grabbing my sandwich, before heading for the dinning room table. I take a huge bite and chew it forcefully.

Nick follows shortly and just stares at me like he's waiting for an answer. I try to ignore him for as long as possible, but soon it just gets annoying.

"I don't know, Nick. You did walk in so I can't tell you what I would have done…"

He looks like he's about to say something but I continue before he can.

"But if we're going by your 'nothing happened' rule then I guess I wouldn't have to tell you, would I?"

Nick groans, "Can we not fight please?"

Oh of course. Once it's obvious that I'm right he doesn't want to fight anymore. Bet it would be a different story if I were the one who was wrong.

"I didn't want to fight," I say coolly, "You're the one who brought up Jesse when I was just trying to talk."

Silence.

"Okay, you're right," he sighs, "That was stupid of me to bring up Jesse. And I should have told you I was with Mikayla. But I didn't want to just text you that without being able to properly explain why and then my _incident_ happened and it kind of got lost in translation."

"I just felt so stupid," I say, my voice cracking, "When she said she was out with you and I had no idea. She had this dumb little grin on her face and then she tried to pretend that she didn't mean to…"

"Oh, Mi," Nick says and reaches out to hold my hand, "I'm sorry, baby. I didn't know you would run into her."

"I don't like looking foolish, Nick," I tell him, "Please don't make me feel that way again."

"No, no," he squeezes my hand, "Never, Miley. I promise."

"Okay," I accept his promise, "So do you want to explain the second half of the evening?"

Nick groans and rubs his free hand over his face.

"I don't even know… one second she's saying we'll just have one drink, then she's insisting on dinner and ordering wine and having the waiter keep our drinks 'fresh'. I was just being stupid."

He shakes his head and looks so disappointed in himself. He pulls his hand away from mine and buries his face behind them.

"God, Mi, what if something happened?" he says in a scared voice, "What if I had gotten into an accident? What if I had… killed somebody?"

I feel so bad watching him sit there and be tortured by his thoughts. I have to do something.

"Shh, Nick," I whisper and then reach over to grasp both of his hands, "Look at me."

For a moment he can't meet my gaze, but after a while he looks at me with glossy brown eyes.

"Nick, I can't lie to you… you messed up," I tell him honestly, "But nothing bad _did_ happen. Someone up there was taking care of you and made sure you got pulled over before something could happen. Maybe this was just supposed to be a lesson. I don't know. But you have to accept what it is and move on."

"Thank you," he says quietly, "I really needed to hear that."

"Anytime," I smile and squeeze his hands before letting go and starting to eat again.

"Mi?"

"Mmhm?" I say with a mouth full of food.

"I love you."

I swallow and smile, "I love you, too."

"I hope so… because you know I can't drive for six months…"

"Oh no," I shake my head and ignore the pleading look on his face, "I am not being your chauffer for six months."

"Miley," he whines and I hold up my hand.

"Don't even. You can hire a driver. We can start looking for someone right after we finish eating."

"Fine," he sits back and sulks. Whatever. I can't believe he honestly thought I would drive him around. As if I don't have a life too. What an idiot. A loveable idiot though. He looks so melancholy eating his sandwich. I need to cheer him up somehow.

"Hey, I have some good news," I say with a grin. He looks at me suspicious, but nods for me to continue. "I don't think Jesse is going to be bothering me again anytime soon…"

His eyes widen, "Oh God, please tell me you didn't do anything that could involve legal action… I think one criminal in this relationship is enough."

"Shut up! And you're not a criminal. But I _might_ have told Jesse off and then threatened him by using you."

Just as I hoped, Nick's face lights up and he begins to laugh.

"Oh, God… tell me everything," he insists through his laughter.

And I do. Maybe I exaggerate a little just to see that smile on his face and hear his laughter, but that's fine. I'm willing to do it just to see him happy.

* * *

**Well, I'm sure we were all tired of Nick being perfect, so here we go. I think it's kind of weird that it's all in one chapter and it kind of makes it seem random/rushed, but I didn't want to leave you guys with another cliffhanger. **

**Next chapter is going to be Miley's dress :) After that I might do some fast forwarding just because, as I'm sure you've noticed, it's kind of just been filler before their wedding. Might fast-forward to the bachelor/bachelorette parties. We'll see. **

**Don't forget to review!**


	17. Chapter 17

**I know what you're thinking... Is this real life? Is Sarah really updating this fast? Well, yes it is real life. Enjoy the chapter! I wanted to get this up before I go out tonight, so if there's any grammatical or spelling errors, you know why.**

* * *

"That was fun," I say as I stand in our living room and start stretching. Nick and I decided to go for a run together this morning and now we're cooling down.

"Yeah, it was," Nick says panting a little and resting his hands on his knees.

"You're a wimp," I inform him, "Now stretch or you'll regret it later."

Nick and I have had a lot of time to spend together in the past week, seeing as he's on vacation and I'm mostly just hanging out now, doing little projects here and there. As much as I love Nick, it has been getting a little hard to find things for us to do besides just sit around and watch movies. If it were up to Nick we'd never leave the bedroom. That's why I suggested this run. I thought it would be good for us to exercise and get healthy together.

"Is that seriously as far as you can go?" I ask, watching him try to touch his toes, but barely make it past his knees.

"Sorry we can't all be as flexible as you," he apologizes sarcastically as I grab my foot and bend at the waist, creating almost a straight line with my legs.

"We should do yoga next!" I suggest, just to annoy him. I know he'll never agree to doing yoga with me, but teasing him is just too good to pass up.

"Yeah, okay, when pigs fly."

"You might like if you try, it could be fun to do together," I wink at him and turn around and bend over to touch the ground giving him a nice view of my ass. Like I said, teasing him is just too fun.

"Are you trying to seduce me?" he asks with a playful tone in his voice, "Because it's working."

"Now imagine me doing this in yoga pants," I tease, coming up and facing him.

"Wow, you sure know how to persuade a guy."

"Come on, Nick… I really think it would be a good bonding experience… I could help you." I say coming behind him and pushing him a little farther than he can push himself.

"Ow, stop," he protests, but he doesn't sound desperate enough to make me stop, so I don't.

"You have to push it a little if you're going to get more flexible," I inform him, "Did you know they offer a naked yoga class at the gym?"

Nick groans and I let go of him and he slowly rises up.

"Hmm… Naked yoga," Nick says like he's thinking about it, "Maybe you could demonstrate and I'll see if I'm interested."

"You're a perv," I say pushing him away gently and heading for the bedroom. Truthfully, I'm just bitter that he managed to turn it around back onto me when I was just trying to make him feel uncomfortable. He knows my games too well.

When I get into the bedroom I kick off my sneaks and take off my t-shirt, which is actually one of Nick's undershirts, and throw it into the laundry basket.

Then I look at the mirror at my body and smile. This is one of the great parts of exercising. Even if you don't actually get instanteous results, you just feel better knowing that you're doing something.

And this little boost of confidence is also nice because in less than two hours I'm going to be trying on wedding dresses. Don't get me wrong, I know that I'm healthy and I don't think I'm fat or anything delusional like that, but there's nothing wrong with feeling good about yourself right?

I go into the bathroom and start up the shower. I walk back into the bedroom in my sports bra as Nick walks in and takes off his shoes too. I can't pretend he doesn't look hot in basketball shorts and t-shirt. Although, I think he should follow my lead and go shirtless.

In fact, I think I'll just take the intiative and take it off him myself. I go over to him and wrap my arms around him and kiss him. His hands land on my waist and I tug the hem of his shirt. He understands what I want and lets me pull it off of him.

That's much better. I grin at him shirtless in front of me and he leans down to capture my lips in a kiss. He tries to part them with his tongue, but instead I pull away.

"I have to take a shower," I say with a giggle.

"Really? What a coincidence… I do too."

"You're ridiculous," I tell him with a grin, but nevertheless, I grab his hand and lead him into the bathroom. The room is all steamy since I turned the water all the way to hot to make it heat up faster. I lower it and then turn around to see Nick right in front of me.

He grabs my chin and kisses me again, but this time rougher and more demanding. My hands go to his waist as I push down his shorts and he steps out of them, backing us closer to the shower. He pushes my running shorts off too and then leans away so I can take off my sports bra and yank my hair out of its ponytail.

I claim his mouth again and he mumbles careful as we both step over the divider from the bathroom to the shower. This time when Nick parts my lips, I don't deny him. The hot water hitting my back and shoulders and trailing in between us makes it that much more sensual.

Somehow as Nick kisses me, I manage to reach for his shampoo and squeeze some into my hands. I lather it into his hair, massaging his scalp gently and working it through his curls. I pull away from his mouth and turn us around so that now he's standing under the water and start rinsing his hair out. Simultaneously, he repeats my actions from before, washing my hair for me.

"You know," I say as I grab the soap and squeeze it into a pouf, "I have to be ready to go in like twenty minutes. That doesn't leave us a lot of time."

Nick groans as he understands what I'm saying.

"You're such a _tease_," he shakes his head as I begin to distribute the suds between us.

"Hey, it's not like you didn't know my schedule _before_ we stared. And you're the one who wanted to join."

"Why do you always make it my fault?" he asks with a laugh while shaking his head and helping me wash off.

"Because it always is," I counter, pushing him away slightly so I can rinse off. Then I quickly jump out of the shower, but not before reaching into turn the water down to the coldest setting.

I hear Nick yelp in surprise, "What was that for?"

"Like you don't know," I retort with a giggle, wraping myself in a fluffy towel.

"That was unnecessary," he informs me as he steps out of the shower as well. I hold up a towel for him and he steps into it. Then he wraps his arms around me and buries his face into my neck, kissing and nipping at it gently.

"You know, it might be kind of awkward while I'm trying on wedding dress with your mom if my neck is covered in bruises," I say

"Mmm, you might be right," Nick says coming up for air.

"I know I'm right," I say before moving away from him and heading to the closet. I open one of the drawers and pull out the essentials and a pair of nice, but loose sweatpants and a somewhat tight v-neck t-shirt.

"So what kind of dress do you have in mind?" Nick asks as he picks out his own clothes to wear.

"Oh, nice try, but I haven't cracked yet and I don't plan to now."

"What?" Nick asks innocently, "I'm just trying to make conversation."

"Yeah, okay," I roll my eyes, "What kind of dress do _you _have in mind?"

"Whatever you want, baby," he says sincerely, "That's what I want to see you in. I want you to wear your dream dress."

"You're sweet," I tell him and give him a peck on the lips since we're both done getting dressed. It _is_ sweet, but at the same time, I kind of wish he would just tell me what he pictures me in. When the designer asked me to send her some ideas of what I was interested in so they would have a few samples ready for me, I said mostly fitted styles. That's what I've always worn and I know I look good in them, but I don't know. Although I'm excited to try on dresses, I'm a little nervous and unsure too.

After I pull away Nick leans in again and kisses me harder and I can tell he's going to take it a bit farther when the phone rings. He groans, but goes to get it.

"Kevin?... Oh?... yeah of course I'll tell her… no, it will be fine… I hope she feels better," Nick says into the phone and then hangs up.

"That was Kevin," he announces. Gee, thanks, Nick I had no idea. "He said him and Dani went baby shopping this morning and Dani was feeling a little tired so they came home and she fell asleep. She's been having trouble sleeping lately so Kevin doesn't want to wake her up, so she won't be able to make it to your dress fitting. He already called Demi to tell her not to bother stopping by their house."

"Poor, Dani," I say sympathetically, "It's too bad she won't get to be there though."

"Don't worry, you'll have Demi and Lilly and my mom there."

"I'm not worried," I say. Even though I kind of am. What if I can't find the dress? I know that everyone says you get that special feeling, but I'm starting to doubt them. I mean, there are so many dresses out there… what if I can't find the one that's perfect? Or what if there's a better one out there and I don't realize it?

"Okay, good. I know that you'll be beautiful no matter what you wear anyway."

"You know, it would have been nice if your mom could have stayed with us instead of at a hotel," I say, trying to bring up the house issue again. For some reason, he seems really against leaving the penthouse. And I get that he really likes it and he has lived her for a while, but I just don't think it's practical for us as a couple anymore.

"I know what you're doing," he tells me, reading me like a book, "And I already told you, I like the penthouse."

"And I do too, but you know that it's not going to work forever and I don't see the harm in looking at houses. You know that both of us have enough income to buy another property while continuing to pay rent here."

Personally, I think that was pretty clever of me coming up with this idea. This way we both get what we want. And also if we can live in the penthouse that means I can redo and decorate our new house however I see fit without worrying about us having to live there. I know, I'm a genius.

Nick sighs and I know that means he's about to end the discussion.

"I'll think about it," he says, but I know that he won't, "Let's talk about it later, okay? I don't want you to go wedding dress shopping upset."

I wouldn't be upset if you'd just agree, Nick. I don't say that though. It really isn't worth getting upset over. Eventually I'll talk him into it. So I nod in agreement and he gives me a kiss on the forehead.

I smile and look at him, "I can't wait to be married."

"Me neither. I've been waiting for this moment since I met you."

I blush. He's so sweet, where did I even find him? I'm about to say something when the phone rings again. This time I pick it up.

"Miley?" Demi's voice comes from across the phone, "We're going to be outside of your house in approximately five minutes, are you ready?"

"Yes, I'll just go downstairs and wait for you," I tell her and then hang up.

"I gotta go," I tell Nick, giving him a quick kiss.

"Good luck," he calls as I head out of the apartment.

"Hello, Miss Stewart-soon-to-be-Jonas, I'm Kristin," a short cheerful young blonde woman says the second our group steps into the studio of the designer who will be making my dress, "I'm going to be your assistant for today, I can answer any questions you have about the dresses and I'll also be helping you get into them. You'd be surprised what a pain some of them are to do up."

I smile and shake her hand and introduce the rest of my entourage to her. I can tell that she's a confused why my mom isn't there, but she's too professional to say anything.

"Miranda is sorry she couldn't be here for your fitting," Kristin says regretfully as she leads us to the back where there's a private dressing room and a small waiting area with a three way mirror, "But she is really looking forward to working on your dress. Any thing you try on today can be altered in anyway you'd like. Your dress will be made from stratch using your exact measurements."

"It's fine," I say politely. It really is. I mean, some people might be offended, but personally I feel kind of awkward trying on dresses when the designer is present. Then you feel like you have to oh and ah over everything.

Kristin offers us all drinks and refreshments, but we all decline. I think we're all anxious just for me to start trying on dresses.

She already has a few dresses picked out for me based on the styles I requested, so we go right for the dressing room where she helps me try on the first dress.

I go back out to where everyone is waiting and stand up on the platform in front of the mirror. The dress is a slightly off-white sleek silk and it follows the curves of my body pretty carefully. It's a halter at the top that dips low in the back. I observe myself in the mirror. It's pretty, yes, but I've worn a lot of pretty dresses before and this one just doesn't seem special enough to be _the_ dress.

"I'd kill to have your body," Demi speaks up as I study myself.

"Shut up," I reprimand her and then turn to Kristin, "This isn't the one."

So we go back into the dressing room and start the process over again.

This next one is pure white with a lace overlay Kristin helps me slip the feet of material over my head and then does it up for me. I walk out again.

This one is straight and strapless and adjusts to my curves as it flows down my body. I look at myself in the mirror. It's _nice_, but I don't know. I wish I knew how I was supposed to feel. Maybe that movie moment where you just know isn't real. Maybe I'll just have to wind up doing eenie-meanie-miney-moe to figure out what dress I want.

"Oh, you look beautiful, Miley," Denise gushes, "The white just compliments your skin so nicely."

I blush at her comments and thank her. I like compliments as much as the next girl, but it's also kind of embarrassing to have everyone staring at me.

Even though Denise seems to really like this one, I shake my head and go to try on another dress. I try on a bunch more and while I admit they look good on me and everyone else agrees none of them make me feel really special. They feel like dresses I could wear anywhere formal, not a dress that feels like a wedding dress. Am I supposed to just pick one? This is getting so confusing and overwhelming. I thought this was going to be fun, but it's just turning out to make me feel more stressed.

I don't want to worry anyone though so I just keep trying on dresses and trying on dresses.

After what feels like forever, I'm staring at myself in another dress. It's a mermaid style dress, fitted until just above my knees where it fans out. The top is relatively modest, but the back is open, which is kind of pretty, but I'm not sure if that's appropriate for a wedding or not. Also, it's kind of hard to walk in it which might be a problem considering I'm going to have to walk down the aisle in front of hundreds of people. I'm studying myself carefully, trying to evoke any kind of emotion about the dress when a thought crosses my mind.

_I can't do this._

No, stop it, Miley. You're being ridiculous. But once the thought is there it won't go away. I don't know how to pick a fucking wedding dress. I don't know what I like and I don't know what I want. How the hell am I supposed to find the perfect dress let alone know that it's the perfect dress?

"Miley?" I hear Lilly say softly from behind me, "Are you okay?"

I reach up to my face and I realize that tears are falling down it. I don't know when I started crying. Everyone is looking at me hesitantly like they're not sure what's going on. No one knows what to do which just upsets me more.

Next thing I know, I'm bursting out into great big baby sobs and rushing back into my dressing room and locking the door.

I sink to the floor in this stupid dress that I can barely even move in. It's so tight that it's making even me feel fat and bloated. Maybe I should just get married in sweatpants. Maybe Nick will even let me borrow one of his v-necks. I laugh pathetically at myself at that thought. I can only imagine what Nick would think of me. Sure, he'd pretend to be okay with it, but I know deep down he would be disappointed. Sometimes I think he might want the fairytale wedding more than I do. Not that I don't want it, he's just very traditional when it comes to this sort of thing.

I suddenly realize how runny my nose is and I sniffle loudly. It doesn't help though. God, I'm pathetic. Good thing there's no mirror in here, seeing I know I look disgusting sitting on the floor in a wedding dress that looks awful with my nose running and tears running down my face.

"Miley, open up," I hear Lilly say again from the other side of the door. Lilly. She's such a good friend. I bet she'll still love me if I have to call this wedding off. Maybe she'll even convert her office back into my bedroom. That would be fun to live with her again. I probably won't be able to see Demi or Denise anymore though. Well, maybe Demi sometimes when she's not with Joe. Joe will probably hate me too.

Fuck, why am I even thinking like that? I definitely don't want to call off the wedding.

"No," I manage to mutter out. I'm still crying, but I barely even recognize the fact. I don't even know why anymore. It's just a stupid dress, who even cares? No matter what everyone will have to tell me how beautiful I look and how perfect it is.

_I want my mom._

Okay, seriously random thoughts, where are you coming from? But the second that one enters my mind, I feel like I can't breathe. My heart hurts so badly, I think I might die. I need my mom. I need her to be here with me, to tell me stories about her wedding dress and tell me how I'm supposed to feel. To say it's okay if I don't find a dress today, we can look again later. Naturally I miss my mom, but it hasn't hurt this bad in so long. In fact, I don't think I've felt like I've needed a mom this much since I was in high school.

"Miley?" Denise calls softly, "Can you please come out? You know you can talk to us."

You'd think that would make me feel better, but it doesn't. I don't want to talk to them. It's not like Demi or Lilly could understand what this feels like. And as much as I love Denise somehow I don't feel like I can talk to her either.

"If you don't open this door in three minutes, I'm calling Nick," Demi threatens. Oh good, now they've resorted to threats. I don't want Nick to come down here. He'll just try to convince me that the dress isn't a big deal, which it totally is. Even though I think I just told myself it wasn't. I don't even know what I'm thinking anymore. Everything is just so confusing.

"Don't call, Nick," I manage to say to them through the door.

"Is there someone else you want to talk to?" Denise tries again.

_My mom_, I think. But that would just be crazy, so instead I say, "I want Dani."

Once it leaves my mouth, I don't even know what I'm talking about. I mean, yeah I love the girl, but I don't know how she could help me. I can almost feel their puzzlement through the door.

"Get me Dani!" I say again. I mean, I must have said it the first time for a reason. And I'm not going to take it back now. There are whispers on the other side that I can't understand. They better not be trying to make me leave.

"I'm not leaving until Dani gets here," I insist, crossing my arms over my chest. Somehow I've gone from sobbing mess to diva and I don't even care.

"Denise is calling her," Demi assures me through the door. Then the guilt sets in. She was tired. I shouldn't be interrupting her. She's having a baby that she has to take care of and here I am getting all in the way. But it's too late now. Denise says that she's on her way and should be there soon. In the mean time I think I'll just sit here and think some more about what a huge mess I am. I don't even know what's wrong with me and that thought scares me. Yes, I want my mom, but I'm old enough now to know that she's gone. Yes, it will always hurt sometimes, but I've already accepted it and moved on.

"Miley?" a soft gentle voice comes into the room. It's Dani. I know it is. No one else ever sounds that nice every time that they talk to you.

I reach up and unlock the door and let her in.

"Oh, Miles," she says when she sees me and it sounds like her heart is breaking just looking at me which sends me into a fresh round of tears. Despite her growing belly, she sits herself down on the floor next to me and wraps her tan arms around me. I bury my face into her shoulder and just sob while she just holds me and rocks me gently. She's going to be an excellent mother.

She doesn't ask any questions and I don't know how long we sit there with her running her fingers down my back soothingly.

"It's okay to be unsure about your dress," Dani says after a while, "I know it gets over whelming, but believe me, when you try on the right dress, you'll know."

"Are you just saying that?" I ask suspiciously, lifting my head from her shoulder.

"No," she says honestly and sincerely, "I thought it was a bunch of bologna too, but when you find the right dress, it feels perfect. Like you're the most important thing in the world and you just want to walk down the aisle right in that moment."

"It's just harder than I thought it would be," I admit, "I just thought it would go smoothly. I know what kind of dresses I usually like to wear, but none of these are working."

Dani looks the wall where the dresses I've tried on are hanging up in clear bags.

"Would you mind if I went to try and find a dress for you? You don't have to like it. I just want to try something."

I shrug my shoulders. I mean, what could it hurt?

"Okay, but you're going to have to help me up," she says with a chuckle, which makes me laugh too.

After I help her up she goes out of the room and presumably to the show room where all the sample dresses are hanging up. Just a few minutes later she comes back in with Kristin who is carrying a huge poufy dress.

"Oh, I don't-"

"Just try it," Dani insists, "Then you can decide you don't like it."

I agree as I get helped out of the dress I was wearing and into the other one. It feels like pounds of fabric were just put over my head. I'm not sure about this. I'm not really a poufy dress kind of girl. Like I said when the designer was picking out dresses for me, I like sleek fitted styles best.

Regardless, I step back out into the main room and step up onto the platform. I hear Denise gasp, and I blush wondering if it's that bad. I probably look like a cupcake or a Barbie doll of some sort.

When I look up into the mirror, I gasp myself. Despite my red face and eyes and matted hair, the girl I see looking back at me is a princess. After seeing the princess in front of me, the feeling flows through my body, warming me from the inside out. I suddenly flash to the image of this girl waiting at the beginning of the aisle with my dad on her arm beaming at her proudly as Nick stands at the altar with a blown away look on his face.

This is it. This is the dress.

"Dani… I love you," I breathe out as I turn around to face the four women. That's enough for Lilly to come barreling at me, almost knocking me to the ground with her hug.

"I've always known you were beautiful, Miles," she says quietly into my ear, "I used to watch you shine on stage every night, but I've never seen you look more amazing than you do in this dress. I can only imagine how good you'll make it look on your wedding day."

I pull away and look at her sincere blue eyes and I start to cry again, but this time it's happy tears. I pull her, my oldest and best friend, close again and whisper, "Thank you."

Demi is next to hug me and tell me how perfect the dress is. Then I shift my gaze to Denise who is dabbing at her eyes with a tissue.

"Oh, Miley," she gushes when she has composed herself, "You are a vision. My Nicholas is going to be floored by how good you wear that dress."

Then I look at Dani who is just standing there with a little smile on her face. No smirk or I-told-you-so glint in her eyes. It's just pure kindness.

"Thank you," I say as she hugs me, even though I feel like there's so much more I have to say and want to say to her. Somehow it's enough though, like I don't need words to convey to her how grateful I am.

"Sometimes it's just the last thing you'd expect," she tells me with a little wink. God, how did I get such amazing people in my life?

I glance up and smile because I know somehow my mom has been looking after me all this time.

* * *

**i think i began mentally writing this chapter in my mind before i even started JLAD. I realize I didn't describe the dress that well. That's going to have to wait for the wedding. I actually have a picture and everything. MAYBE if I get a lot of reviews, I'll consider posting a link. No promises though, so don't feel like you HAVE to, I'm just saying it would be a bit of motivation. **


	18. Chapter 18

**yay update. fastforward a few months until Miley's Birthday. Then bachelorette/bachelor party chapters. Don't feel like writing months of filler before the wedding :P Idk how far to take this story... what do you guys think? Anyway, enjoy!**

I look up and see Miley at the altar. The first thing that catches my eye is her beautiful face. I can barely breathe, I feel like I've waited so long for this day. Next I go to look at her dress-

"Nick," a voice whispers in my ear, the breath hitting my neck and making me shiver.

I grunt in response and try to go back to my dream.

"Nick, are you awake?"

Her cold hands run up my shirt and down my back. Obviously she's not going to quit. I force my eyes open and I'm confronted with the big glowing numbers of my alarm clock.

"Miley, what the…?" I ask when I see that it's only four A.M. What could she possibly want this early?

"So you _are_ awake," she says triumphantly, tugging on my shoulder so that I'm facing her. It feels like there are weights on my eyelids, trying to force them closed.

"What's wrong?" I ask, sliding an arm under her and the other around her to pull her close to my chest.

"I can't sleep," she says with a little giggle. Why is she so cute? I can't even be mad at her. "Do you know what today is?"

I rack my brain for a moment before the answer comes to me.

"Happy Birthday, baby."

"Thanks," she giggles again, "So are you going to tell me what we're doing for it yet?"

I shake my head and even though it's dark, we're close enough that she can feel my movements.

"Nope, it's a secret," I tell her, "Now go back to sleep and you can beg me to tell you at a more reasonable hour."

"But Nick-"

"Nope, shh, it's time to sleep," I interrupt her.

"But I can't," she says pitifully and I just know she's pouting.

"Shh… just be quiet," I pull her closer and start kissing her softly across her forehead.

She sighs but after a few minutes her breathing drops to an even pace and she's asleep in my arms. Honestly, that was easier than I thought. Once I'm sure she's asleep, I let my eyes close so I can sleep for a few more hours.

When I wake up later at the much more reasonable hour of nine, Miley is still fast asleep in my arms. I carefully extract myself from her and go to the kitchen to make her breakfast in bed.

I hum softly to myself as I get what I need out to make pancakes and start mixing it all together. It's a simple breakfast, about as much as I can manage in the kitchen, but I know Miley will appreciate it. I construct a stack of them on a plate, enough for both of us, and then arrange some fresh-cut strawberries and a touch of whipped cream on top. Perfect.

I search through the kitchen drawers for a lighter and then stick a purple candle into the stack of pancakes.

"Miley," I sing out as I get back to our bedroom with a tray that has the pancakes, a small bowl with extra strawberries, and silverware on it.

She groans and flips over onto her stomach, but I know she's awake. I place the tray down next to her and light the candle.

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you," I sing while she continues to pretend she's asleep, "Happy birthday dear Miley, Happy birthday to you."

She turns her head to face me and opens one eye. Then she sees the pancakes and the candle and she sits up and smiles.

"Make a wish, sweetheart," I say as she blows out the candle.

"That was really cute, Nick," she says and then leans over to kiss me on the lips, "Thank you."

"No problem, birthday girl," I say before shifting the tray so it's on her lap. I reach over for the fork and knife and start cutting up the pancakes for her and she watches me in amusement.

"You know, I can do this for myself," she says with a giggle and I spear a piece of pancake and a strawberry for her and hold it up to her mouth. She still leans forward and takes the bite and chews it over thoughtfully.

"These are really good, Nick," she proclaims, grabbing the other fork to feed herself while I use the one I have to eat some too. Not too bad, maybe I should be a cook. Except I think I would miss music a lot.

"Want a strawberry?" Miley asks, once we've finished the pancakes. I turn to look at her and she has a strawberry sticking out of her mouth while her eyes look at me seductively. I take the tray off her lap and put it on the floor next to me. She slides down the pillows and I climb on top of her and bite the end of the strawberry that's sticking out of her mouth. I suck on the fruit, pulling it into my mouth until I reach Miley's lips.

She giggles and slides a hand behind my neck pulling me closer. After tasting her mouth, I pull away and look down at her. She has strawberry juice dripping down her chin and neck so, being the kind gentleman I am, I decide to help her out by kissing and licking it away. While doing that, I slide my hands under her tank top and up and down her bare sides, my excitement increases when I realize she didn't wear a bra to sleep. Her hands fist my t-shirt and she pulls it over my head and tosses it aside. I try to slide my hands into the waistband of her boyshorts, but she pushes my hands away and flips us over so she's straddling me.

"It's my birthday, I'm in charge," she tells me, pushing her long hair to one side as she sits above me… way too far away for my liking. She slowly presses her clothed bottom half against mine, but pulls off her tank top in the process.

"Or," I say, flipping us back over, "Because it's your birthday you should let me take care of you." Before she can protest I bring my mouth to her bare chest, kissing and nibbling gently. She groans softly and runs her fingers through my hair.

When I'm sure she's not going to move, I slide my hand down her softly muscled stomach and into her cute little boy shorts.

"Mmm, Nick," she groans as my tongue flicks across her nipple and my hand presses in between her legs. Oh yeah, I am good.

Her hips begin to rise and up down as she presses against my hand and I let her try for a little bit, before pressing her hip down with my other hand and adjusting the hand between her legs. I rub my thumb against her most sensitive part and use the rest of my hands to stroke her gently.

"Oooh, yes, just like that, baby," she encourages me and then grasps my ears and pulls my face up to hers so that she can kiss me. Shit, I love when she talks like that.

"You like that?" I ask her, pulling away from her mouth to nip at her collarbones.

"Yes- oh!- yes, I like it," she insists, "Don't stop."

She doesn't have to worry because I don't plan on stopping. In fact, I speed up until she starts squirming underneath me, signaling that she's close. Just to tease her I slow down.

"No, Nick," she practically whines so I return to my original pace, "Oh God, I'm going to- shit! – Nick, I'm gonna— "

Her back arches and she lets out a little strangled cry as her thighs squeeze against my wrist. I don't stop the motion though until she's lying flat on the bed again, out of breath and breathing heavily.

Her eyes flutter close and then she tries to open them, just to have them close again.

"Go to sleep, Mi," I tell her kissing her temple gently.

"What about you?" she murmurs without opening her eyes. I can tell she's already half way to dreamland.

"It's your birthday," I remind her, "Now, I have to go to the studio…"

"On my birthday?" she opens one eye and looks at me sadly.

"I'm sorry, baby, but it's just for a little bit. I'll be back within two hours. Get some rest for tonight, okay?"

She turns onto her side and grabs my pillow to cuddle with.

"What's tonight?" she asks with a yawn.

"I was thinking maybe we could go out to dinner somewhere… Maybe that Italian place, you know, the one we went to on our first date… Carlucci's? I'm kind of feeling some spaghetti and meatballs."

"Just us?" she asks scrunching her nose. I can already see the disappointment all over her face. She is a birthday person, she obsesses over it and I know she expects me to plan a big party for her.

"Yeah… is that a problem?" I say sweetly, trying to hold in a laugh at her face.

"No, no, that's perfect," she says with a weak smile. It's so cute when she's trying to pretend she's not upset.

"Good," I lean over and kiss her temple again, "Now get some rest and while I go get ready and head to the studio for a bit. Call me if you need me."

I go to the bathroom and turn on the shower before letting out a short laugh. Oh Miley. I'm not _really_ going to the studio. Which she should know since I told her I was off work until after our honeymoon. But it's much, much better this way.

I get dressed and ready to go and call my driver, Tom, so that he's ready when I get downstairs. I thought not being able to drive would be annoying, but actually it's kind of awesome. Tom is a cool guy in his early thirties. He has a daughter who he gets to see every other weekend and he always has good stories about her or about his nightmare of an ex-wife.

"So does she have any idea?" Tom asks as he starts driving.

"None at all," I say with a laugh, "I made tonight seem so casual you could see the disappointment all over her face."

"I bet she'll love it."

"She definitely will… you know you're still invited to come if you want."

"I know, Nick," he says with a smile, making eye contact through the mirror, "But Marissa comes to my house tonight and I wouldn't miss it for anything. You'll be fine without me, right?"

"Don't worry about it, I already got a nice limo for tonight. Enjoy the time you have with your daughter."

He smiles in gratitude and soon enough we're pulling up to my destination. I walk in the door to see the place already decorated in purple streamers with a huge "Happy Birthday, Miley!" banner on the back wall.

"Oh, hi Nick!" Demi says as she walks by with a box full of what looks like centerpieces, "How does it look so far?"

"Awesome," I say with a smile, "She's going to love it."

"Does she have any idea?" Lilly asks, coming up behind Demi with another box, "I don't even know how you managed to get out of the house on her birthday."

"Oh, it was easy, she's taking a nap and I told her I had to drop by the studio."

"Miley taking a nap?" Demi asks skeptically, "Since when does Miley nap?"

I can't help the goofy grin that takes over my face.

"Aw yeah, dude wore her out… Nice!" Joe says coming up to our small group and raising his hand for a high five. I give it to him and grin again.

"What—oh! Ew!" Demi shakes her head as she gets it, "You guys are gross."

She walks away to put the box somewhere and Lilly follows rolling her eyes at our antics.

"Hey, I don't see you complaining when I wear you out!" Joe calls after her, causing her to blush and then busy herself with setting up the center pieces of the tables that are scattered throughout the small place.

I rented the whole restaurant for the night for Miley's birthday. All her friends, co-workers and even just some celebrities that I know she admires are going to be at her surprise party tonight. She's going to freak out especially since I set her up for such a lame birthday night.

"Nick," Lilly asks me "Can you get up on this ladder and hang some more streamers for me?"

I oblige and hang the purple and silver streamers exactly where Demi and Lilly tell me to. Good thing I got them in on this so they can do the arty creative part. But don't be mistaken, this was completely my idea. After I do that, Joe and I move some tables around to make space for a little dance floor. It wouldn't be a perfect night for Miley if she couldn't dance.

"So you've got everything under control?" I ask the three of them when we're done setting up, "Miley and I should be here around eight, the invitation said seven, so hopefully everyone will be here by then. I'll text Demi when we leave so you can get everyone ready."

"Don't worry about it Nick," Demi assures me, "We've got everything under control. Miley is going to love it and she's going to be so surprised. This was such a good idea."

"Thanks," I say and give them all hugs before calling Tom and heading back home to see my girl.

I walk back into the bedroom to see Miley laying there sleeping on the bed. I take off my jacket and kick off my shoes and pull off my jeans and slide in next to her, pulling her back close against my chest.

"Mmm," she murmurs and snuggles back against me, "Hi, Nick."

"How'd you know it was me?" I ask her, nuzzling my face into her neck.

"No one else makes me feel this way," she admits and places her hand over mine on her stomach.

"You know, that's usually the kind of cheesy thing that I say," I tease her, gently tickling her tummy with my fingers. She squirms and giggles and then finally opens her eyes and looks at me.

"How was the studio?" she asks as her baby blue eyes meet mine. They're still kind of hazy with sleep and her voice is slow and lazy. It's extremely attractive, to be honest.

"It was boring… I couldn't concentrate because I was thinking about you the whole time."

"That's sweet, Nick," she says and pecks me on the lips, "So what did you get me for my birthday?"

I pull a sweet maneuver and flip her over so that now she's laying on top of me.

"You mean besides lots of hot birthday sex?"

"This is supposed to be my birthday present, not yours," she jokes. I can tell by the look in her eyes that she actually really wants to know. My little birthday princess can't wait to see what I have in store for her. I'm sure she's expecting some pretty jewelry with a deep meaning or something of that nature. Luckily for her, I am much more advanced than that, and I know the party and the surprise after will blow her mind.

After messing around for a bit more, Miley goes to get ready for the party. Well, for what she thinks is just a casual dinner. But still. The point is that she's getting ready and it feels like it's been hours. All I did was change my shirt, but judging by the sounds going on in the bathroom, I'd say Miley is going all out.

"Is this okay?" she asks immerging from the bathroom and doing a little spin. She's beautiful all of the time, but oh my God. She looks absolutely gorgeous. She has on some serious knee high black boots with buckles down the side. Underneath them she has some skintight jeans that make her butt look even better than usual. On top she has a layered flowy white tank top that shows off just the right amount of cleavage. Her hair is in big curls and she has a seriously hot smoky eye going on. Seriously, can I just throw her on the bed and skip the party?

"You look _amazing_," I tell her honestly.

"It's not too much?" she asks fretfully, touching her hair, "I mean, I know it's just a casual restaurant, but it's my birthday so I thought I'd dress up."

"You look beautiful and it's definitely not too much," I say coming close to her and placing my hands on her hips and pulling he close to me. "I especially like those boots," I murmur playfully into her ear, "They're very sexy."

Her head tilts back and she laughs her crazy laugh, "Typical Nick with his one track mind…"

"You're right…. My mind is always on _you,_" I flirt, sending her a wink on top of it.

She kisses me on the lips and slides her tongue in my mouth. Her fingers slide into my hair and massage my scalp gently. I kiss back eagerly until I feel her pulling her head back. Then she leans her forehead against mine.

"Can we just forget dinner?" she asks me with sexy eyes, biting her lip. Oh my God, the things she does to me. But wait… everyone is waiting for us there. Dammit. If not, I would definitely be up for skipping dinner.

"Mmm, nice try," I tell her, "But I'm really looking forward to that spaghetti…"

She gives me an odd look and thank God we're almost on our way because I don't think I can keep the act up for much longer.

"So are you ready to leave?" I ask, "You might want to grab a coat or something."

"Yeah, yeah, I was going to," she assures me going back into the closet and grabbing a little cropped leather jacket and tossing it on. I love how she manages to mix a rocker look with a sexy feminine look.

I shrug on my own jacket and then take her hand and lead her downstairs and in front of the apartment where a black stretch limo is waiting. Her fingers clamp down on mine and she begins walking faster.

"Oh, my God, Nick," she says smiling at me, "You got a _limo_? I love limos!"

"Trust me, I know," I say laughing at her excitement. The chauffer opens the door and she climbs in. I shake his hand and confirm where we're going, text Demi, and then go in after her.

She's sitting facing forward looking up and playing with the various switches on the ceiling. The lights around the limo are changing colors and a top hits pop song is playing lightly in the background.

"Having fun?" I ask her as I sit down in the seat next to her.

"Look at all the colors!" she says excitedly, "Isn't it cool how they change?"

"Very cool," I tease and poke her in the side making her squeal and jump.

"No champagne?" she asks pointing to the empty cooler with the glasses next to it.

"As soon as we get to Carlucci's I'll order a bottle," I assure her, putting an arm around her shoulders.

"I don't think they have champagne at that little family restaurant, Nick," she says with a laugh.

"We'll see," I agree with a laugh. Little does she know they definitely have champagne considering I had twenty bottles delivered there this morning. Maybe it's a lot for only fifty people, but we get all the leftovers anyway so it doesn't matter.

Soon enough we're pulling up in front of the restaurant. I hope they're ready because there's no way I could contact them without Miley getting suspicious.

The Christmas lights they have up all year are up and twinkling as usual as we head for the door. I open it and allow her to walk in first.

"SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" I hear everyone yell and then I go in too. Miley has a hand clasped to her mouth as she looks at the large amount of guests in front of her.

Lilly rushes forward and grabs Miley into a huge hug. She's still in shock though and her hands hang limply at her sides. Demi soon joins in the hug and asks her, "Are you surprised?"

That seems to wake her up, "Yes!" she says and throws her arms around them, "Was this your idea?"

Lilly shakes her blonde head and then nods at me. Miley turns around and smiles widely.

She rushes over and throws her arms around my neck and pushes her lips against my cheek.

"I should've known," she says with a laugh, "I should've known that you would have something big planned for my birthday."

"Yeah, you should've seen your face when I said we were just going out for dinner. The birthday princess definitely didn't like that one."

She sticks her tongue out at me and crinkles her nose.

"Champagne for the princess?" Joe says coming up to us offering Miley a glass of her favorite bubbly drink, "Happy Birthday, Miles."

"Thank you, Joe," she says unwinding her arms from me to give him a half hug and a peck on the cheek. Next Joe hands me a beer and I thank him too.

"I'm going to go say hi to everyone, okay?" Miley says, excusing herself from us and then leaving to work the room while I watch her proudly.

"Don't worry," Joe assures me when the party is over, "We'll get all of Miley's presents to your place and leave them in the living room. Now go, I promise I have this under control."

Normally I'd be skeptical of Joe, but he actually did help a lot while putting this whole thing together and I know Demi wouldn't let him do anything too stupid.

"You ready?" I ask coming up to Miley who is chatting animatedly with Demi. Minus the employees at the restaurant, we're the only people left.

Miley gives Demi a hug goodbye and a thank you for coming and then we leave the place hand in hand. I look over at her and her face is flushed and her hair is kind of messy from dancing, but she looks so happy and I'm proud that I was able to organize this for her. She has a plastic tiara on her head that I think Demi got for her and she's half skipping half walking while swinging our arms between us.

"Did you have fun?" I ask her even though the question is kind of irrelevant giving how happy she is.

"Mmhmm… thank you so much, Nick! It was the best birthday ever."

"I'm glad," I tell her as we approach the limo. The driver lets us in and we settle into the leather seats. A comfortable silence surrounds us as the vehicle starts to move. Time for part two of Miley's birthday surprise. She might think that the party was my present to her, but she's wrong.

"Where are we going?" Miley asks suddenly. She's been staring out the window this whole time and we just passed the turn we should have taken if we were going home.

"It's a surprise," I smirk.

"You think you're soo clever and cute," Miley tells me, crossing her arms, "But I know where we're going."

"Oh yeah?"

"Obviously we're going to the beach," she says with a triumphant smile on her face. Dammit. She's right. Am I that predictable? But I'm sure she can't even imagine what I have for her there so at least I'm safe on that part.

"I knew it!" she laughs at my silence, but then uncrosses her arms and leans her head on my shoulder, "But it's okay, I love our beach and I haven't gone in forever."

I put an arm around her and I think she falls asleep for a little bit, but she wakes up when the limo comes to a stop. The beach is on Miley's side and she eagerly jumps out of the car. I smile and reach into my pocket to pull out the papers that are there.

"Nick!" Miley calls frantically, "Nick… something's wrong!"

I get out and see her staring at the entrance to the beach. The dune is completely blocked off by a chain link fence with a bold sign claiming that it's private property and trespassing is illegal.

"Oh, my God, what are we going to do?" Miley asks looking depressed, "I mean this place is important for us! Maybe we can make an offer for it…"

"Oh, the owner's not selling," I tell her with a smirk forming on my face.

"How do you-" she begins to ask turning around to see me holding out the papers to her.

"Happy Birthday," I say softly as her eyes scan the legal documents in front of her.

"You bought our beach?" Miley asks in amazement looking up at me.

"Yep," I tell her with a grin. She still seems kind of shocked by the news.

"Oh, my God. But what are we—wait—is this a building permit?" she asks holding up another one of the documents.

"Well, I thought… maybe… I mean, if you're interested because it's totally up to you—"

"Just spit it out, Nick!"

"I thought we could build our house here," I say sheepishly while Miley stays silent, "Don't worry! It's just the permits I got… I talked to some architects, but nothing's set in stone. I want you to be part of the design process."

"This explains so much… how long have you been planning this? This is why you've been reluctant to look at houses!"

"You got me," I admit, holding my hands up in surrender, "Now do you want to check out our new beach front property?"

"Yes!" Miley squeals and then lets me hoist her up over the fence. It's not trespassing since it's technically our land, but jumping the fence just makes me feel like a bad ass. I follow Miley over and then she takes off running through the dune until she reaches the beach. She lies down on the sand and I make my way over to her and sit down.

"What are you doing?" I ask standing over her while she lays parallel to the water, eyes closed.

"Just laying on the living room couch," she tells me with a smile.

"Taking a nap?" I tease her.

"No, just fell asleep watching a movie waiting for my extremely handsome husband to get back from his job as a high profile producer."

I roll my eyes at her and then scoop her up into my arms carrying her bridal style to a new patch of sand.

Her eyes fly open, "What are you doing?"

"Taking you to the bedroom," I explain laying her carefully on the beach and then climbing on top of her and kissing her. She lays there kissing me back until my hand starts sliding up her shirt.

"Oh, my God, Nick," she says giggling and shoving me off of her, "Not on the _beach_."

I lay down next to her and put my hands under my head and Miley lays hers on my chest. She starts talking excitedly about plans for the house and suddenly it doesn't matter that I got rejected though or that the limo is running up a serious tab waiting for us. All that matters is us together.

**Not much to say except now I'm gonna go get high just lyke Miley lolz  
... and I want 1000 reviews. ;) **


	19. Chapter 19

**Last update of 2010 (well, for me, for some of you it might be 2011 already)... so sad :( but hopefully there will be many more in 2011.**

Three weeks. Three weeks until I marry the love of my life. We're in the final stretch. Miley's dress is carefully stored at Lilly's place, my brothers and I have our tuxedos ready and Demi and Lilly have already had their final fitting for their bridesmaid dresses. The menus and flowers and favors are all picked out and the cake has been reconfirmed, just to make sure. Miley and the girls have hired some of the best stylists to come to Lilly's place where they'll be getting ready. In other words, everything is pretty much done which just leaves one thing left to do before we get consumed with Christmas things: my Bachelor party.

I don't know who let Joe and Demi team up to plan the Bachelor/Bachelorette parties, but somehow they were the ones put in charge which of course means that they perfectly calculated with each other what each group was doing and made a pact to enforce a rule, just one rule. Miley and I are not allowed to contact each other all day.

And this plan probably would have worked perfectly if I didn't "happen" to forget to charge my phone last night and needed to get my charger from my place. Originally, I was supposed to get ready at Joe's place after the baseball game he and Kevin organized while Miley was supposed to get ready at our place. However, since I need to charge my phone before we go out, I need to drop by.

"Demi will kill me if she finds out you guys saw each other," Joe says from the front seat of Kevin's car, "Just go in quick and get your charger and then come right back out."

"Don't worry, I will," I lie and get out of the car and head upstairs. Miley's car was in its usual parking spot so I know she's home.

I go upstairs and then into the bedroom and grab my phone charger from beside my bed. Now, where is Miley? If I call out for her, she'll know it wasn't an accident and I don't know seriously Miley is taking these stupid no contact rules. I'm about to leave the room and look somewhere else when Miley walks out of the bathroom. Her hair is up in curlers and her makeup is done, but she's completely bare except for an extremely small pair of panties.

"Whoa," is all I can say. Oh, I forgot to mention something. Miley decided that our honeymoon would be more special if we decided to abstain from sex in the weeks leading up to our wedding. So after not seeing Miley in that way for a while, this view is definitely appreciated. Unfortunately it doesn't last long because at my exclamation Miley jumps and crosses her arms over her chest. Then she realizes it's me.

"Holy shit," she says, dropping her arms, "You scared me, Nick!"

I hold up my phone charger, still incapable of speech. Fuck, she is gorgeous. How come she doesn't walk around like this when I'm home? Even when we're not trying not to resist each other she doesn't do this. The sight of her nipples bared to the open air is definitely a turn on. And the best part is she doesn't even look awkward about being topless in front of me. That's just how comfortable we are with each other.

"Do you want to see my dress?" she asks with a little smirk and I nod slowly. She goes into the closet and emerges wearing a robe now and holding a little dark gold one shouldered dress. I might not know about women's clothing, but I can see the dress and I can see Miley and I can tell that it's going to be like a second skin on her.

"You're going to wear that out?" I finally speak up. I figured they would go to a club or something but this choice of clothing just confirms it.

"Well, I'm not going to wear it around the house alone," she teases me, tossing it onto the bed.

"I don't think you should wear something like that without me present," I tell her. I'm partially teasing, but part of me is serious. I know Miley is gorgeous, but does she have to show off like that? It's not hard to imagine all the male attention she'll be getting.

"Don't worry, Nick," she tells me with a smile, "We're going to stick together and not take drinks from strangers. I know how to be safe at a club and I'm not going to do anything stupid and besides Demi promised she won't drink since she's driving."

"I just wouldn't want something to happen to you."

"Nick," she says coming closer and squeezing my bicep gently, "We're not going to die just because we're spending the night separately."

"I know," I pull her close and just inhale her sweet scent. I wish her hair wasn't in rollers so I could run my hands through it, but it's also kind of cute seeing her getting ready like this.

"Good," she pulls away, "Now I'm sure Joe is being as tyrannical as Demi about this so you should probably get back to him."

"True. I love you and have fun tonight. But not too much fun."

"Right back at you, buddy. Don't fall in love with some stripper named Candy and run away with her, you can't trust those bitches, they're paid to make you like them."

I roll my eyes at her teasing, but I'm glad that she's able to joke about it instead of being uptight or jealous about it.

"You know I have been to a strip club before," I say defensively.

"Okay, buddy," she says patting my face condescendingly and gives me a quick kiss, "I love you. Bye."

She's so annoying sometimes. Good thing I love her. I go back downstairs and jump back into the car.

"What took you so long?" Joe demands as Kevin pulls out of the space.

"Couldn't find my charger, I guess Miley tried to clean up and put it somewhere else."

"Did you see Miley?" he asks suspiciously.

"Yeah, for like a second. She was getting ready for dinner," I say staring him straight in the eye.

"Cool," he says and lets it go. I wish I could though. I know Miley wouldn't do anything wrong and I shouldn't be getting jealous when she seems fine with me going out, but I can't help but worry about her.

"You're going to love the steakhouse we're going to eat at," Joe says, turning around in his seat to face me, "I swear, they have the best food ever. These guys just come around with meat on swords and you can eat as much as you want."

"I can't wait," I say with a grin, pushing Miley worries away. It's been so long since I've gotten to just hang out with my brothers, no distractions. Don't get me wrong, I love Dani as a sister-in-law, and I'm happy that Joe and Demi are together and obviously I want to spend the rest of my life with Miley, but it's been so long since it's just been the guys not having to worry about the girls because they've got their own thing going on. See… I just have to focus on the positives.

After showering and getting ready we show up at the restaurant. Joe wasn't kidding, this place is absolutely amazing. They have a good salad bar too which means I'll probably be able to convince Miley to come here again with me. Score. We spend a lot of time at the restaurant, eating and talking and just messing around with each other the way brothers do. Joe and Kevin cover the bill and then around nine we leave the restaurant.

Joe, since he doesn't drink anymore, gets in the front seat of his car, which we drove over here in. Finally Joe pulls up at a Gentleman's Club.

I roll my eyes even though I saw this coming.

"Come on," Joe laughs at my expression, "It's your bachelor party, we have to!"

I shake my head, but smile good-naturedly. I mean it's not like I have anything against gorgeous girls dancing half naked. Not that I would do anything with them or something like that, but just _looking_ isn't wrong.

There's a stage in the center of the dim and smoky room, but there's also tables with stripper poles in the center. Several other groups of guys and even some creepy guys who are alone are at those tables and some of them have dancers up on them. There are also a few girls on the stage and guys sitting at the seats that line it.

However, we're brought back to a little private room with velvet couches and a curtain to separate us from the rest of the club. There are several poles throughout the room and a short table in the center.

A waitress is a little pink dress with some strategic cutouts and fishnets comes into the room and puts a beer in front of Kevin and I on the table. Then she winks at Joe.

"Are you sure you don't want anything?" she asks coyly, pushing her blonde hair over her shoulder. Oh God, I know Joe is just going to eat this shit up. Not that he'd cheat, especially with some girl at a strip club, but he is such a sucker for a good innocent flirt.

"Maybe a water," Joe says giving her a smile, "Do you think you could send one of your friends over here? It's his bachelor party," he says pointing at me and winking.

The waitress giggles and nods her head, "Of course… any preferences?"

She's talking to me, but I don't even know how to answer that question. I mean I get that this is supposed to be like some guy thing, but I don't really stay up late at night fantasizing about what kind of stripper I'd like to see.

"He likes brunettes," Joe answers for me with a smirk, "With a nice rack. Not too big, not too little."

"I have the perfect person in mind," the blonde says and then sashays away from the table swinging her hips.

"Oh, my God, Joe," I groan covering my face while Kevin laughs at my embarrassment.

"What are you not a boobs guy anymore?" Joe asks innocently, "I guess Miley does have a pretty nice ass too."

"Please don't talk about Miley like that," I tell him, taking a swig of my beer while Joe continues to try to push my buttons.

"What? I'm just saying. I mean it's not that big and she's got nothing on Demi, but Miley has that whole yoga/Pilates/whatever toned ass going on which is pretty hot too."

I know Joe is just trying to get me riled up, not get me angry or anything, but just poke fun at me. And if I let him get to me that's like letting him win and anyone who knows me knows I hate losing.

"Come on," Joe says at my silence, "Loosen up. Anything that's said here will stay here. Miley's a great girl for you, but don't pretend you don't think she's hot too."

"Okay, yeah," I say trying to relax, it's not like I'm used to sharing this kind of stuff with anyone, "She's definitely hot."

"I bet she's feisty," Kevin says, exchanging a smirk with Joe. Great, two against one. Some brothers I have.

"Sometimes," I admit with a grin, taking another sip of beer, "But sometimes she's all weak and it's so hot to see her give control over to me."

"Nice, man," Joe says, "See that wasn't so hard, talking about sex with Miley. We're all guys here."

"Yeah," I say with a grin and another gulp of beer, "You're right. Miley is hot. She's good too. Like really good. Trust me, her Pilates and yoga are definite pluses."

"Aw yeah!" Joe howls raising his hand for a high five, which I give him.

I shake my head at myself talking about Miley in this way. But fuck, she is hot. I think about her in that tiny gold dress. Dancing in a club. Surrounded by guys. Wait. No. I don't like that last part. That image needs to leave my head.

It's immediately replaced with the girl who is suddenly standing in the middle of the room. Her hair is dark brown and in big voluminous curls and her skin is a dark bronze color, just a shade over the line of realistic versus fake.

"So I hear it's your last night of freedom," she says looking at me under dark lashes. If she knows who I am, she doesn't give an indication. That's good. This is awkward enough for me without feeling like I'm the Nick Jonas instead of just Nick.

"That's what they tell me," I say nervously. Relax, Nick. This is all good fun. It's not like it's cheating or something like that. And it's not like I'm noticing the way her breasts are being pushed up by her tight black corset top or how tiny her waist looks compared to her full ass which is barely covered by her tiny black shorts (if you could even call them that).

Okay, so yes, I'm noticing. But that doesn't mean I like it. Not that I don't like it. I'm a warm blooded male after all.

While I'm obsessing over this the girl, who introduced herself as Jasmine, gets up on the coffee table. Her legs are nice, but Miley's are definitely longer and her thighs are slimmer. And I prefer Miley's boots to the stripper's shoes. Not that I should compare this girl to Miley. That's just stupid.

She starts dancing and Joe eggs her on, throwing money on the table and sending me a grin. Even Kevin seems to be enjoying himself and he's usually the most uptight of all of us, seeing as he's already married. And it's not even like Dani is at the club with the girls, seeing as she's pregnant. After awhile other girls join us in the room, all of them dancing and taking off various pieces of clothing. This isn't the kind of place where the girls get fully naked, but some of them are topless as they dance. The pretty waitress keeps bringing out beers, bringing a new one the second I finish so that I can't really keep count of how many I've had. They're just blending one into another.

I watch a highlighted brunette who is using muscles that I didn't know existed as she works the pole. Holy shit, how does she even lift her leg that high? I bet Miley could do that. Oh yeah, that would be awesome.

Suddenly even though I really was having a good time with the guys, I really miss Miley. I wish she were here. Well, maybe not here. Unless it was just me and her and she was giving me a private show. But instead she's at a club right now. Defenseless and alone. Probably drinking. And wearing a skintight dress. There are probably tons of guys asking her to dance and I bet Demi and Lilly are egging her on the same way Joe was egging me on.

I should call her. Not that she'll hear her phone. And Joe or Demi might kill me if I try to contact her. Dammit. I look at my watch. Only an hour until midnight. I'll tell Joe I'm ready to go then and he can drop me off at home. Then I can go to sleep and soon enough Miley will be back. Perfect.

It's actually almost one when we finally leave the club. I don't even know how we managed to stay so long. I'm drunk. Okay, I admit it, happy? If that damn waitress didn't keep bringing me beers, I wouldn't be like this. Also the more the drank, the more the girls started looking like Miley which was weird and trippy, but a turn on at the same time.

"This was so fun," I tell Joe in the elevator up to the penthouse. His arm is behind my back, keeping me standing. Actually he's basically carrying me. "Thank you, Joe. You're the best brother ever!"

"Shh," he says, laughing too, "Oh my God, Nick, you're so drunk. I've never seen you like this."

"But it's okay!" I laugh again, "Because it's my party and I can do what I want!"

"Sure, Nick, whatever you say."

"Can you believe I'm getting married to Miley? She's so gorgeous and nice and gorgeous and caring and beautiful. Did I mention gorgeous? And she's so hot. It's so hard not to have sex with her… But still I'm sooooo lucky. You think we're good together, right Joe?"

"You guys are great," he says as the elevator opens. Joe nudges me slightly and I fall down on my knees into the foyer.

I flip over and laugh, looking at the dancing lights of the chandelier. They remind me of Christmas. That's coming up soon. I still have to get Miley a gift. I smile at the thought of Christmas with Miley again. Our second one together. It's weird how fast things happened between us, but at the same time it feels like it's been forever.

"Nick, get up!"

"I can't," I giggle clutching my stomach, "My head is too heavy."

Joe mumbles something that sounds like, "Christ" and suddenly I'm being hoisted to my feet. We wind up in my room and Joe shoves me onto the bed.

"That's as much as I'm doing," he says grabbing the trashcan and putting it next to the bed and pointing it out to me, "Good luck."

And then I'm alone. I stretch my arms out and they barely reach each side of the bed. I spent years alone in this bed and now suddenly it seems so empty. Then an idea pops into my head. It's a bad idea. Definitely a bad idea and it's definitely against the rules and Miley definitely won't be happy about it. But once it's in my head, I can't get it out. Feeling rebellious and naughty, I take my phone out of my pocket and scroll through my contacts to the right number and then press send. Finally someone answers.

"Hello?"

"I'm lonely. Please come over."

**BAD NICK.  
Promise I'll be updating soon since I'm already like halfway done writing the next chapter.  
I asked this in the last chapter, but no one seemed to notice... so how far do you think I should take this story? I don't want it to go on forever, but if people are still interested in reading more, I wouldn't be against writing a little more after their wedding/honeymoon, it's really up to you guys. Have a fun and safe New Year's Eve! And I hope 2011 is wonderful for you all! **


	20. Chapter 20

**Miley's POV**

I shake my head to myself as Nick leaves the penthouse. He probably thinks he was being super sneaky, but I'm fully aware that he planned leaving his charger here.

Before I can dwell on the thought, the phone rings and I pick it up.

"Hello?"

"I have Lilly and Dani and we're on our way over," Demi says, "You have ten minutes to get your ass ready before we're coming up."

I laugh at her enthusiasm, "okay, I'll be ready, just use the code to get in."

The second I hang up I take off my robe and tug my dress on. Luckily since it only has one strap the opening is big enough to fit over the curlers in my hair. I pull and adjust the dress so that it rests in the right spots. Then I start taking the curlers out as I walk to the bathroom. After some hairspray, brushing out and a little teasing, my hair is perfect. It's a little messy, but that's the look I'm going for.

I'm just zipping up my black-heeled booties when there's a burst of noise from the elevator. I just saw the girls a few hours ago at the spa, but they still rush in the bedroom like it's been years since we reunited.

Well, Demi and Lilly rush... Dani waddles in slowly with her pregnant belly. Lilly has a bright pink v-neck tucked into black hot pants on and Demi is wearing a tight black tube dress. Since Dani is just joining us for dinner and since she's pregnant, she's dressed much more moderately in jeans and a black maternity top.

"You look hot, girl," Lilly says with a grin, giving me an up-down.

I giggle, "You guys don't look so bad either."

"I do," Dani says with a sigh, "What I'd give to look like you girls right now."

"Still struggling?" I asks sympathetically. Dani's pregnancy hasn't been the most comfortable thing for her. Not that it is for any woman, but she has been particularly uncomfortable with it.

"It's not that bad anymore," she says with a smile, placing a hand over her stomach, "I'm just ready for the little guy to be here."

"I can't wait," Demi says with a grin, "The first baby in the group."

"You can babysit anytime you want," Dani jokes and we all chuckle.

"Oh!" Lilly exclaims, "Look what we got for you!"

She starts rummaging in a bag I didn't notice before and pulls out a bright pink silk sash and holds it up. In glittery writing it says "Bride-To-Be" across it. Underneath it has my name written in cursive and the date of the party. It's tacky and yet completely awesome at the same time.

"You have to wear it!" Demi insists as I take it from Lilly to look at it closer.

"I love it," I say with a grin and then fasten it across my body, "How do I look?"

"Like you're ready to party," Demi answers and then grabs my camera from the dresser to snap a few pictures while I pose ridiculously. After taking a few more pictures with the girls (we even manage to get Dani to join us in a few) we all pile in the car and head out for dinner.

"Don't worry," Demi, the designated driver, tells Dani, "I checked with the restaurant and they have plenty of alternatives without raw fish for pregnant women."

We're going to this new trendy sushi restaurant in downtown LA. It's very hip and very now and will probably over by the end of this week, but that's not the point.

We get to the restaurant and it's done all in white futuristic looking decor. Multicolored spotlights bring color to the room, lighting up each table with a different color. The waiters and waitresses are all in white too.

I almost laugh at the clientele in the place. It's almost all groups of women and a few gay looking men. Yeah, this place is definitely a trend. In fact, I can see at least three box-office actresses just from my spot at the door.

Demi gives our name and they lead us to a table doused in purple light. I bet it's not a coincidence seeing as that's my favorite color. Nice touch, Demi. Almost immediately martini glasses filled with a purple liquid are placed in front of all.

"Ours are alcohol free," Demi explains to Dani. Wow, Demi really planned this all out. We chat about this and that and then the waitress takes our order.

"This feels so Sex in the City," Lilly jokes, taking a sip of her cocktail and we all laugh. It really does. I missed girls' nights out like this. Yeah we go on shopping trips and stuff but we don't get to just hang out at night like this unless we're at an industry party or on group dates.

"So, are you guys all ready for the big day, Miley?" Dani asks.

"Yeah," I say, "We have all the details planned out. Now we just need the day to come."

"I still can't believe you're marrying Nick Jonas," Lilly says, "I remember when you used to kiss posters of him in your room."

"Shut up!" I blush, "It was so not like that. I just thought he was really talented."

Despite my defense though, the girls all still laugh at me.

"It's okay," Demi tells me, "I had the biggest crush on Joe for forever. I was like a freshman girl in love with the senior quarterback… I thought I never had a chance."

We all giggle and then turn the chat to other subjects, like work and upcoming projects. Somewhere in between the appetizers and entrees there's a lull in the conversation.

"So, Miley," Lilly says with a devious grin, "How's the whole no-sex rule going for you guys?"

"I think Nick's going to die," I say with a laugh. It's true. It's not that we're all physical, but I guess Nick has a hard time resisting me. He always has such a pained expression on his face every time I have to remind him about the rule. Not that it's been easy for me either, trust me. Nick is so attractive all the time, even when he's just rolled out of bed and is stumbling around trying to find clothes.

"Look at you… I'm not surprised," Dani says.

I blush. I mean I know I'm an attractive girl, but still it's kind of embarrassing.

After dinner, we drop Dani off at her and Kevin's home and then set out on the rest of the night.

As I assumed, we pull up at the current club hot spot in Hollywood. We surpass the long line, while girls in their little dresses glare at us, shivering in the moderately cold L.A. winter weather, and boys stare. I wink at one of them for fun and his face turns all shades of red. I laugh to myself and then go inside the dark club. Demi bought (or, more likely, was just given, seeing as who she is and who I'm marrying) the best corner table, which overlooks the whole place. The grey suede couch is soft as butter under my legs and the table is a dark lacquered wood. Almost immediately a bottle of champagne is popped and three flutes are filled almost to the brim.

"To my best friend since middle school who is now getting married to the guy of her dreams who treats her right," Lilly says and clinks her glass against mine. I beam at her and then Demi puts her two cents in.

"To the girl who stole the heart of the guy I thought would never get married and to the best night ever with her oldest best friend and her newest one."

"Aw you guys," I gush and then take a quick gulp of the bubbly liquid. Demi takes a small sip and Lilly almost downs the whole thing.

"Slow down, girl," I joke and she pushes me gently.

"Can we go dance?" I ask as I song I like comes on. Demi nods and Lilly agrees to so I drink the rest of my champagne since leaving it there unattended would obviously be a bad idea.

I love being with the girls and it would be so much fun, if there weren't so many guys on the prowl. I manage to get away from most of them, but some guys are so grabby. Like I don't know what makes them think they can just grab any girl they want and rub up against her. I probably wouldn't mind that much if they'd just be polite about it and ask me to dance or something instead of just treating me like an animal. But I guess that's club life for you.

Eventually Lilly finds some guy that she apparently met before and they go back to the table to talk. Or something like that. Demi is screaming out the words to the song that's playing and she's dancing ridiculously. And this is her sober. I'm nearly doubled over with laughter at her antics. This is so not how you're supposed to act in a club, but I don't even care.

After a few more songs, we decided to take a break and head back to the table. Lilly is nowhere to be seen, but eventually we spot her on the dance floor with the guy she met- Bob? Bill? Ben? Something like that. Either way, get some, Lil. The waitress comes back with our bottle of champagne and pours more into my glass.

"You ladies celebrating something?" a guy with blonde hair says approaching our table and looking at our champagne glasses.

"I'm getting married," I say with a giggle.

"That's a shame," he says with a smile, "Another pretty girl off the market."

Demi and I exchange a glance and then both giggle. It's definitely a cheesy line, but what girl doesn't love an innocent flirt every now and then?

"I guess so," I say winking at him over the rim of my glass.

"You should get your chance with her now while you still can," Demi jokes and I nudge her playfully. But the boy is cute and he looks like he would be a good dancer so I don't really mind. Plus he doesn't have a sleazy look about him the way some guys do.

"So how about stepping out on the dance floor with me?" he asks smoothly.

I lick my lips, "do you think you could find someone for my friend too?"

"I don't think that will be a problem at all," he says nodding his head over to two other guys who are watching him talk to us. They must be his friends. They look like they're in shock that he came over and talked to us. They probably know who we are, but that's half the fun in it. I bet dancing with us will be the highlight of their lives for a long time.

His friends meet us halfway towards the dance floor and like always when I hear a good beat, my body takes over my mind. The moves come naturally to me. Blondie isn't too bad of a dancer either and even though it's kind of a group thing since there are three guys, I find myself gravitating towards him. Somehow Demi manages to arrange it so that I'm basically sandwiched between two of them, with Blondie behind me and his red-haired friend in front of me. For some reason Demi thinks this is hilarious and she cheers loudly. I shake my head at her, but can't help laughing too.

"Do you want to get a drink?" Blondie asks me over the music and I nod. It gets pretty hot on the dance floor and I could definitely use a water. I let Demi know where we're going and then Blondie grabs my hand so we can make our way to the bar without getting lost.

"Thank you..." I trail off awkwardly as he orders us waters. I still don't know what his name is.

"Bryan," he says to help me out.

"Thank you, Bryan. I'm Miley," I say and put out my hand to shake his.

"I know," he says with a little smile and hands me my water after the bartender gives it to him, "So when's the wedding?"

"After Christmas," I say vaguely, obviously not wanting to tell some random guy the date, but not wanting to sound snobby either. Luckily, he seems to understand and doesn't question me farther.

"We should go back to the booth… my best friend is paying for it after all."

He gives me a look and I laugh. Yeah, so she was probably just given it, but whatever. The bar is kind of crowded and we're not ordering alcohol so the bartender is giving us the evil eye. I hop off the stool and grab his hand so I can lead us this time back to the booth.

I slide in and check my phone discreetly. No messages. I'm honestly a little surprised that Nick hasn't tried to contact me yet, but maybe Joe is keeping a close eye on him.

"It's cool that you're really serious about this marriage. You don't see that a lot in Hollywood, especially among celebrities," Bryan says randomly, but I appreciate it nevertheless. What Nick and I have is definitely special and not just some artificial romance for the media.

"How can you tell I'm serious?"

He chuckles and points at my chest that still has the sash around it.

"You wouldn't wear that unless you wanted people to know you were off-limits. Also, the first thing you did when we got back here was check your phone… probably to check for messages from him."

I'm surprised how perceptive he is, seeing as he is a guy. They're usually pretty slow on the draw, no offense.

"Well… obviously the sash didn't turn you off," I tease, nudging him slightly with my elbow.

He laughs, "I figured I'd save you from all the guys who wouldn't be deterred by it and try to pick you up anyway."

"Oh, well then I guess you're my hero," I say sarcastically and roll my eyes playfully. We both laugh and then Demi slides in next to me at the booth.

"Whew," she exclaims fanning her face with her hands, "It's hot out there."

Bryan's friends slide in next to Demi and I guess Lilly notices us sitting down because she comes over and joins us with the boy she was dancing with. The booth is pretty cozy now, if not completely crowded and I can feel Bryan's leg pressing against the full length of mine.

Another bottle of champagne is popped and poured and I'm pretty sure someone makes some kind of toast involving me and Nick, but I'm not paying attention anymore. I gulp down my class of champagne. It's so hot in here. I can't tell if it's because we're all so packed in or if it's from the alcohol. I press my hands against my face and it feels so warm. I bet I'm so red right now.

"Do you want to take a breather outside?" Demi asks me suddenly. I look over to see her eyeing me worriedly. I nod and we excuse ourselves. Lilly sees us leave the table and excuses herself as well to come with us.

Demi grabs onto my hand and I grab onto Lilly's as we go to the back of the club. I'm not sure where we're going until Demi leads us down a hallway I didn't even realize existed and then out a back entrance. Several other celebrities are out here too, taking a breath of fresh air or smoking something that's definitely not legal. They're all minding their business though and we find our own corner of the surprisingly clean alley.

"You looked like you were feeling a little suffocated in there," Demi says, wrapping an arm around me. I lean my face against her cool shoulder and let the slightly chilly winter air cool me down.

"Yeah, I don't know what happened… I guess there were just a lot of us squeezed into that booth," I explain, already feeling better while breathing in fresh air.

"You're having fun though, right?" Lilly asks me worriedly.

"Definitely," I say, "I just needed a little break. And speaking of fun, you and that guy seem pretty close."

"His name's Ben," Lilly says with a faint blush on her cheeks, "And we're just friends."

"Okay…" I say in a tone that implies that I don't believe her at all and she just rolls her eyes at me. I get off of Demi's shoulder and stand up on my own, feeling much better than I was a few minutes ago.

"What about you and Bryan?" Demi says with a glint in her eye.

"Oh so that's the boy's name… thinking about leaving Nick?" Lilly joins in. Those two are evil, I swear.

"As if. I'll probably never even talk to him again," I say dismissing them. We decide to head back in, but when we get to the booth the boys have vacated it. They're probably somewhere on the dance floor, but it's not exactly a huge priority for us to see them.

"Let's go dance," Demi suggests and we're all game. The three of us have a good time, just dancing with each other and goofing off slightly.

Around one, we decide we're done. It was a fun night although pretty uneventful. It was just a good time, completely drama free which was what I wanted anyway. We call for Demi's car and it shows up and soon we're on our way back to her apartment.

Lilly falls asleep in the backseat and even Demi and I are quiet on the drive. Suddenly my phone ringing interrupts the silence. I pull it out, puzzled at who could be calling me at this time and I'm surprised that it's Nick.

"Hello?"

"Please come over."

"You know I'm with the girls," I can't help but giggle at the way his voice sounds. He definitely had a little more beer than he should have seeing as his words are kind of running together.

"I just really need you," he begs, "I don't want to be alone."

"Is that Nick?" Demi asks suspiciously, taking her eyes off the road for a minute to glance at me.

I nod.

"You're not taking another guy back to Demi's house, are you?" he asks sadly.

I almost laugh at the ridiculousness of it. Even if I was 100% single, I wouldn't bring a random guy from a club home, let alone to my friend's house. I can he's not completely there.

"Oh, my God, no, Nick," I say, trying not to laugh at him.

"Then why won't you come see me?"

"You know the rules."

I glance down at the clock and then look at Demi. She feels my gaze on her and I make a sad face at her.

"Miley…" she groans.

"Come on," I say, covering the phone, "Technically, it's past midnight, so it's a different day. We've spent all day together. And this way, you can see Joe too."

I can tell she's about to give in. Mentioning Joe was a good touch, good call on my part.

"I'll even carry Lilly up to her apartment," I add, looking in the back and Lilly who is leaning against the window. I think she's sleeping, but I'm not entirely sure. Obviously someone had a little too much fun.

Demi sighs, but I know she's not actually upset. I mean we've been together all day and we're exhausted. It's not like we're going to stay up all night sharing secrets anyway.

"Okay fine… we'll bring Lilly to her apartment and then I'll drop you off."

"Thank you," I say sincerely, "And thank you so much for doing this for me. I had a great night and day."

We stop by Lilly's and I help her up the stairs and into her bed. Then Demi drops me off at my place and I go up. I walk into the bedroom and see Nick laying spread eagle on the bed with his clothes still on.

"Hey, baby."

"You came!" he exclaims sitting up, "I didn't think you would!"

"I couldn't resist you," I say teasing him as I sit on the edge of the bed next to him, "Did you have fun with Joe and Kevin?"

"Yeah… the girls were hot… but not as hot as you."

"Thanks," I say laughing. Yeah, sober-Nick would definitely never say something like that. I study him again. He still has all his clothes on, including his shoes. I do however notice the garbage can next to him. I'll have to thank Joe for that. Although technically we've already sold the penthouse… our house on the beach should be complete by our wedding and ready to move into when we get back from our honeymoon. But nevertheless, I appreciate the effort Joe made.

I get off the bed and stand at the edge, untying Nick's shoes and pulling them and his socks off.

"What are you doing?" he asks confused by my actions. I think it's pretty obvious, but I guess he's not in the best state of mind anyway.

"Getting you ready for bed," I tell him and then take my own heels off. I climb onto the bed and over him, pushing his shoulders so that he's laying down again. I pop the button of his jeans out, drag down the zipper, and pull the material off his legs.

"Sit up," I say and he obediently listens to me, "Arms up."

I pull his t-shirt off then take his clothes and put them in the hamper in the closet. Then I swap my dress for one of his shirts and put it on with a pair of shorts.

When I come back in the room he's back to laying out across the whole bed.

"Move over," I say nudging his side.

"No."

"Come on, Nick. I want to go to bed too."

"Make me," he says with what can only be described as a giggle. I sigh and climb on top of him.

"Fine, I'll just sleep here then."

"You're really pretty," he sighs, tangling a hand in my hair, "I'm so lucky to have you… I can't imagine what my life would be like without you. I probably would have just moved into the recording studio by now because I'd have nothing to come home for."

"Don't say things like that, Nick," I say, even though the idea of it is cute, "You'd have your family still."

"I just love you so much… it's like nothing could compare," he continues dreamily, "Even when all the strippers were dancing and competing for my attention, all I could think about was waking up next to you, with your makeup all under your eyes because you were too lazy to wash your face the night before."

I press my face against his chest and smile. It's amazing how warm and mushy he can make me feel with the things he says. And how well he knows me seeing as how I didn't wash my face and I definitely will have makeup under my eyes tomorrow.

"Can I tell you a secret?" he asks.

"Sure."

"I'm drunk," he says loudly and then starts laughing. I can't help but laugh along with him. He looks so happy and carefree and it's better then him going all mushy on me while he's under the influence. "Have you ever tried stripping?"

"Excuse me?" I ask him, sitting up a little so that I'm straddling his stomach.

"I would have rather watched you up there instead of those girls with the fake boobs and spray tans."

"Oh, my God, Nick," I laugh, "Please stop."

"It would be so hot to see you do that."

"Okay, enough… it's time to go to sleep now, Nick."

"You're the only girl who's ever on my mind, you know that?"

"And you're the only guy who's ever on mine."

I lean down to gently kiss his lips. He seems to have other ideas though and his tongue quickly darts his way in between my lips to stroke my own. His hand goes back into my hair and I grab his bicep and flip onto my back pulling him with me. It doesn't take much making out before I can feel him harden. I shift slightly so that he's rubbing up against my own sensitive area and he moves his hands to slide up my shirt and cup my breasts. I delve my tongue deeper into his mouth, lifting my head off the bed to be even closer to him. I'm seriously about to give up on the no sex rule in like two seconds. I mean, who really cares? We're going to get married and if we do it one time it's not going to make our honeymoon seem boring. I'm just about to move my hands to the waistband of his boxers when he suddenly pulls away.

"Wait!" he cries, "Wait a minute… We're not supposed to do this."

I look at him in surprise. I really didn't think he would be the one to stop it, especially in his state. Actually I'm kind of in shock.

"We made a promise not to make love again until our honeymoon…"

"We can just forget about that promise for one night… You're drunk, you said so yourself and I had a few glasses of champagne and a cocktail with dinner…"

It's almost pathetic how needy I sound. Am I seriously trying to beg my fiancé to have sex with me? Especially when I was the one who suggested we try abstaining for a while.

He shakes his head, "Think about how much more special it will be when we finally make love again. I really do want to wait."

Wow. Only my Nick would be able to control himself even when he's drunk. I'm suddenly filled with that much more appreciation for him.

"You're a really good guy, Nick," I tell him, shifting so I'm next to him, "I'm so lucky to have met someone like you."

Soon enough, his soft snores fill the room and I snuggle up to him and quickly drift off myself.

"What the hell?"

I groan and roll over to face Nick who is now sitting up.

"What's wrong, baby?" I say sleepily.

"What happened last night?" he says holding his head in his hand.

"Well you left the strip club with a girl named Candy and she called me when you passed out in her car."

He looks at me with wide eyes and I can't help but laugh.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding," I say, getting out of bed to get Nick an aspirin and a cup of water from the bathroom.

"Here," I offer them to him, "I'll go get some coffee started for you."

"Wait—" Nick says before I can leave the room, "I didn't ruin your night, did I?"

I walk over to the bed because he looks so concerned.

"No, you didn't. In fact, I'm happy that you called me. It was better than waking up on Demi's couch."

Nick smiles and I smile back before getting him some coffee to help his headache.

"So you don't remember anything from last night?" I ask when I get back to the room.

"Vaguely. I remember dinner and then the club and then it kind of gets fuzzy. You swear I didn't do anything embarrassing, right?"

"You'll have to ask Joe about at the club," I say with a laugh, "But I know you didn't do anything stupid here with me. Actually you were quite the sweetheart."

"Really?"

"Oh yeah," I say with a smirk, "You even refused having sex with me."

"Dammit… what was I thinking?" Nick says jokingly and I smack him upside the head, "So did you have fun last night?"

"Yeah, time with the girls is always fun… I missed you though."

"I missed you too."

"Oh, I know, you told me last night. You also told me you wished I was a stripper."

Nick groans, "you told me I didn't do anything embarrassing."

"But I didn't say you didn't say anything embarrassing," I tease him.

"Miley—"

"What?" I say innocently, standing up from my spot on the bed.

"Miley, if you don't tell me what else I said-"

Before he can finish that threat I back out of the room with Nick on my tail. I run into the kitchen ducking behind the island before he can get in the room. I hear his footsteps slow down when he doesn't see me in here. I giggle at this and then clamp my hand over my mouth when I realize I've given myself away.

I quickly get up just as Nick rounds the corner. His hand gently brushes my side, almost getting a hold on me, but I dodge him and leave the kitchen, sticking my tongue out at him.

I get into the living room, still taunting him for not being able to catch me. He chases me around the couch and just when I think I'm about to get away from him again, he lunges at me and tackles me onto the couch.

"I surrender, I surrender!" I say as Nick flattens me against the couch. It's hard for me to sound serious though because I can't stop laughing. It gets even worse when Nick starts poking his fingers into his sides.

"You didn't say anything!" I promise, trying to fight him off, "Stop, please!"

"Say that you love me."

"I—love—you," I gasp out between giggles.

"I love you, too," he says and stops tickling me. However, he does not get off of me. Instead he stays on top of me, crushing me slightly

"Get off me," I say wiggling underneath him. His eyes widen and I'm confused for a moment before I realize what's wrong.

"Oooh you like that?" I tease him, parting my legs slightly and lifting my hips.

"Shut up," he mutters and rolls off me, sitting on the floor. I sit up and start rubbing his shoulders gently.

"Let's go out together tonight," I suggest.

"I have a better idea… let's just stay in tonight."

"Nick, you know the rules…"

"No, not like that. I feel like we've been running around like crazy doing wedding stuff… it feels like it's been forever since we've just relaxed together. What do you say, we can order Chinese food, watch a movie?"

I picture a quiet night together in my mind and it seems heavenly at this point. Soon we'll be busying traveling for the holidays and then we'll be back here, making sure everything's perfect for the wedding on New Year's Eve. Nick's still looking at me expectantly and I can't help but kiss his soft pink lips.

"Okay, but only if we can order pizza instead."

"We can even get extra cheese," Nick says, naming my favorite topping.

"Deal."

* * *

**welp, there is it. i think originally i had a plan for it all to be more dramatic and have Nick get jealous or something, but it just didn't seem worth it. I'm just going to let you all know now that Bryan is insignificant. Next chapter will probably be the rehearsal dinner... we've already done the holiday thing with Nick and Miley soo we're just gonna skip that. So yeah, the wedding is coming up. I'm probably going to end it shortly after the honeymoon. I know some of you want more, but look at it this way- I'll have more time to write other (possibly better) stories.  
Anyway, hope you enjoyed it and sorry I made you wait a while for it. I'd say that I'll update faster next time, but honestly I probably won't. But hopefully I'll update TMUP in between so if you read that story you'll have some of my writing to tide you over. **


	21. Chapter 21

**HAPPY ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THIS STORY. PLUS A DAY.  
Well, it's been a while, hasn't it? I have to admit I just haven't been feeling this story that much lately. And I'm just going to come out and admit that this chapter is pretty much 100% filler. But the wedding is soon. So yay! Enjoy!**

"Are you ready yet?" Miley calls from the bedroom while I'm in the bathroom brushing my teeth.

"Almost," I say with my mouth full of toothpaste and then spit and rinse.

"Finally," she says when I get out of the bathroom.

"You're just being impatient because you can't wait to see the space where the wedding is," I tell her, grabbing my wallet off the dresser and stuffing it into my pocket.

She ignores my truthful comment and stands up so we can leave. It's finally here, our wedding rehearsal and the first time that we're going to be able to see the space that was designed for our wedding. I mean, we've visited the place, seen and approved sketches, fabric samples, floor plans, centerpieces etc., but this is the first time we'll be seeing it all put together in person.

I glance over at her to see her looking at herself in the mirror. She turns sideways and holds her stomach. I frown. I know she's been being extra careful not to gain any weight so that her dress still fits, but she better not be thinking that she's anything less than perfect.

"You look beautiful, baby," I tell her.

She shakes her head. "I look ridiculous… I'm bringing a pair of flip-flops for later."

I chuckle. She's wearing cutoff shorts with a white tank top and a grey cardigan. She looks comfy but cute. The part that she finds "ridiculous" though is that she's also wearing these strappy nude heels that are her wedding shoes. Linda advised that she wear them at the rehearsal to practice walking down the aisle in them. They're not _that _high since she'd be taller than me if they were, but nevertheless Miley took her advice.

"Well, you still look beautiful to me. So are you ready to go, Mrs. Jonas?"

She shakes her head, but grins at me calling her that, "don't call me that yet, it's probably bad luck or something."

"Like anything could stop me from marrying you."

"Yeah, yeah," she says rolling her eyes playfully, "Let's go before we're late."

"Now, don't be afraid to tell me if something's off," Linda says as we head into the venue that was rented for our wedding. Since neither of us belongs to a church in L.A. we decided to have the venue set up for us to have the wedding ceremony so basically we rented two ballrooms. Either way, we would have rented out both rooms at the place so that it was a private event, so at least this way we're using all the space. The doors open up to a pretty long hallway. On the left is the space sent up for the ceremony and on the right is space for the reception. In the back there's an elevator that leads to a basement that has private rooms for the wedding party to stay in while the guests are arriving.

Linda takes out her keys and unlocks the door on the left first. My jaw drops in awe. There is no way that this is the same, plain white washed room that we were shown just a few months ago. Soft white flowing fabric hangs from the walls with lights below them illuminating the fabric to a soft glow every few feet along the wall. The ceiling is also draped in fabric and strung with twinkling lights.

I look over to see what Miley thinks and her eyes are wide while her hand over her mouth in shock.

"I'm going to cry," she says, reaching out and grabbing my hand, squeezing it tightly, "It's amazing… it's more beautiful that I could have even imagined. Thank you so much, Linda."

She wasn't kidding, her eyes are actually tearing up and I give her tight hug while surveying the rest of the room. Four hundred white chairs line the navy blue carpet that leads up to the altar. The altar is raised four stair levels with a white Baldwin piano off to the side. The back of the room is decorated with what looks like thousands of candles, but are really battery-powered lights. Atop the altar is a custom-made domed canopy strung with even more lights and then covered in white tulle. The whole room has a dreamy, starry effect to it, which was exactly what we wanted.

Miley clings onto me tightly and I press a kiss against her temple. Eventually she regains her composure. Thank God because if she started with the waterworks, I would be close behind. It's hard to wrap my mind around the idea that we're getting married. Some people just don't understand the symbolic meaning behind a wedding, but I know that once we're wedded, we'll be like one in the eyes of God, which is more that I could ever ask for. Being one with someone as incredible as Miley Stewart completely blows my mind every time I think about it.

"Are you sure it's perfect? Because I have the decorator and her crew on call to come change anything you don't like," Linda says after Miley's little moment.

"No, it's absolutely wonderful," Miley insists, "Really, you guys out did yourselves."

"I agree," I throw in. Although even if I hated it, Miley looks so radiantly happy that I would let it all stay.

"I'm so glad," Linda says, obviously pleased. Then her phone rings and she excuses herself to take the call.

"Look at these," Miley says, going over to one of the chairs and touching the navy blue bow on the back of the chair, "It must have taken forever to attach all of these. And they're so cute. I can't believe this is all for us."

She grabs my hand and pulls me up towards the altar, pausing just for a moment to marvel at the larger ribbons on the front chairs that say "reserved for family" across them in neat calligraphy.

She stands on the left and I stand on the right under the canopy. She turns to face me and grabs my other hand. Tomorrow. Tomorrow we'll be standing here again with me in a tux and her in a gorgeous dress, while our friends and family witness our sacred union. Miley glances out all the sea of chairs, but all I can look at is her happy face. I tug on her wrist gently so that she's facing me again and I'm about to lean into kiss her when we're interrupted.

"Holy shit this place is awesome!"

Miley and I both turn to the door to see Joe and Demi standing there. Demi was the one who let out the expletive. She's looking around the room in wonder and even Joe looks pretty impressed.

Miley runs over to greet them, giving them both big hugs and I follow behind more calmly.

"Hey, bro," Joe says, giving me a half-hug, half-handshake while Demi and Miley gush about lighting and colors and dresses or something, "You ready for the big day?"

"Absolutely more than ready," I say confidently, staring at Miley fondly as she throws her hands around while she talks.

Soon my mom and dad and Frankie arrive with Kevin and Danielle since they're staying at Kevin's house. We've all recently seen each other because of Christmas, but we all chat lightly about what's been going on. And of course mom freaks out about how amazing it looks and gushes about how happy she is for us.

Billy Ray is the next to arrive, greeting his daughter with a huge hug.

"So Nick… last chance to back out," he jokes, putting an arm around Miley, "Are you sure you can handle this girl?"

"Dad…" Miley whines, trying to pull from his grasp.

"Definitely not backing out," I say giving her a little wink.

"Atta, boy," he says clapping me on the shoulder and I once again thank God that her dad likes me.

Then Linda comes in with the pastor who will be performing the ceremony and the pianist. We decided to use a live pianist for the ceremony because the room has surprisingly good natural acoustics and we both love music so much. Now we're just waiting on Lilly. Miley goes out in the hallway to call her to see where she is while I explain to everyone how the procession is going to go.

"So Demi and I aren't walking together?" Joe asks, as if we haven't been over it a few times already before this night.

"No, because Lilly is the maid of honor and you're the best man, so you'll be walking together with Kevin and Demi behind you," I explain, trying not to roll my eyes Seriously, if Joe messes this up… Never mind, I shouldn't think like that. I look over at Kevin who is carefully helping the 8 months pregnant Danielle sit down. He asked to have less responsibilities so that he could watch over Dani and not feel like he was neglecting his wedding duties, but honestly, a half-there Kevin is probably more organized than Joe.

"Look who's here!" Miley calls in a singsong voice, pulling Lilly into the room.

"Finally!" Joe yells and Demi and my mom smack him on the back of the head then look at each other and laugh.

"Okay!" Linda says, directing all of our attention to her, "We're going to start with where you'll all be seated or standing during the ceremony and then do the recession, then the procession, then we'll run through it front to back with the music."

Dani, my parents, and Miley's dad sit in their proper reserved seats in the front row while Miley and I go back to where we previously stood at the altar, this time with the pastor.

"Right, so, Lilly," Linda directs, "You'll be on the step below the top step behind Miley and off to the side a little, Joe, you do the same, but behind Nick.

"Now, Demi, you stand one level below Lilly, and Kevin you do the same. Frankie, you'll stand on the lowest step, next to Kevin."

"Oh!" my mom says from her seat, "You guys look so beautiful all up there! I'm tearing up already…"

My dad pats her shoulder comfortingly and she leans her head against him. A strange sense of pride inflates me. I feel like Miley and I are going to have a marriage just as special as my parents and I feel so blessed to have had such a great model to learn from.

"Okay, so, let's pretend the ceremony is over and now you're all leaving… Frankie, you'll leave first since you don't have a bridesmaid. Then Kevin and Demi, watch each other then start walking inward so that you meet at the beginning of the first row… good, now link arms and go… once they start moving, Joe and Lilly, you do the same… And finally the bride and groom."

I link arms with Miley and we walk down the aisle behind Joe and Lilly. Linda and the rest of our family follow behind us and we all congregate behind the rows of chairs.

"You'll all go straight back into the hallway… Miley and Nick you'll wait right here while everyone files out to wish you well. The rest of you can mingle or go down stairs to your rooms to freshen up before the introductions at the reception."

After we have that figured out, we line up for the procession while my dad and Dani take a seat. First I escort my mom to her seat and take my place at the altar in front of the pastor. Joe and Lilly come down next, then Kevin and Demi, and finally Frankie by himself. Then Miley and her dad begin to walk.

"Don't cry," Joe snickers from next to me and I glare at him. But actually I'm kind of thankful I have Joe to be annoyed at and distract me because I just might cry watching Miley walk down the aisle even right now in her casual clothes. Her dad looks like he's going to choke up too as he puts her veil (she brought it with her so her dad could practice lifting it) behind her head and goes to take his seat while Miley walks up the steps to her spot.

We go through the basics of the vows and the exchanging of the rings. Once we've practiced that, we go back down and run it all back to front with the piano player playing the music. Getting a live piano player was such a good idea because it really does sound very beautiful and more personal than a recording.

"Great," Joe says as soon as we're all back in the hallway after we're finished, "Can we go eat now?"

Demi hits his arm and hisses something at him and he immediately looks sheepish. Looks like Joe finally found someone who can contain him.

"Let me just show you guys the ballroom, then you guys are done and free to go," Linda says with a chuckle.

She opens up the large ballroom doors and we see a room lit similarly to the one across the hall. The only difference is that his one is filled with tables and has a dance floor in the middle and a little stage in the back for a DJ. We considered having a live band, but then finally decided on a DJ so that we could have some more variety in what was played.

Miley rushes to the closest table and gushes at the centerpieces with my mom. I roll my eyes. Women. Linda explains to us how we'll all be announced and where to go for the announcements and then we all leave so she can lock up the ballroom.

"You did an amazing job, Linda," Miley says, giving her a big hug, "Thank you so much."

I give her my thanks as well and then finally we all go downstairs and get into our cars to drive to the restaurant.

Miley's brother and his wife meet us at the restaurant, seeing that they're in town for the wedding. They're actually already there by the time we come in. I give the hostess my name and we're quickly escorted to a large table in the back. It's actually the same restaurant where we had our engagement party, so it's kind of like everything is coming full circle.

"Are you excited?" Nicole, her sister-in-law, asks Miley, touching her wrist gently.

"So excited!" Miley practically squeals. It's okay though because I love seeing her being this excited about marrying me. Jackson turns to me and puts a hand on my shoulder.

"If you hurt Miley, you are done for," he deadpans, "Just remember that."

"Jackson, stop," Miley shakes her head, "Nick's never going to hurt me."

I smile at how sure she is that I'll never hurt her. Obviously I don't intend on ever hurting her, but it's good to know that I've conveyed that well to her.

"I'm just kidding, Miles. Nick knows that. Right, bro?"

"I don't know, I might take you up on that. If I ever hurt your sister, I'll probably need someone to smack some sense into me."

Everyone chuckles and takes their seat at the table. Miley and I are sitting at the end of the wide table, with my parents on the other side. On the left is Lilly, Jackson, Nicole, Billy Ray, and on the right are Joe, Demi, Kevin, Danielle and Frankie.

We've just given our dinner order, when Kevin suddenly stands up and taps his glass with his fork lightly.

"Okay, since tomorrow, Joseph will be the one making the big 'best man' speech, I'm going to take my turn tonight. Miley, from the second my brother was late to the studio for the first time in the history of the universe, I knew that you were something special to him. Nick, it's been amazing to watch you find the same love that I found with Dani," he pauses to grab her hand, "We both wish you only the best… and if you're ever looking for some marital advice, we're here."

Miley squeezes my hand tightly and smiles widely as everyone toasts to us. Once Kevin starts it, it's like everyone has something to say, except Joe and Lilly who of course are saving their toasts for tomorrow. Mom tears up as she says how proud she is of me and how she loves Miley like her own daughter. Billy Ray even lets a tear out as he calls Miley his little girl and tells me that he trusts me to look after her. Demi makes a highly sarcastic speech about how she never thought I'd get married, but that she's glad the girl I found is "totally rad". Even Jackson and Nicole, who have only met us a few times, have nice things to say about our relationship.

Dessert is about to be served when Miley stands up, tapping her glass.

"I just wanted to thank you all so much for your kind words," she says, already sounding like she's choking up, "When I met Nick, I didn't realize it would be something this big. I didn't realize that I'd get a whole other family and it means so much to me that you guys support us so fully."

She bursts into tears and I quickly get up and wrap my arms around her.

"I second that," I say with a grin, to make everyone laugh and ease the tension. Miley and I both take our seats again and I wrap an arm around her as tears roll down her beautiful face.

"Hey," I murmur as everyone's attention falls to other things, "Are you okay?"

"I think I just need to excuse myself to the bathroom for a few minutes."

"Do you want me to come?" I ask, swiping my thumbs across her cheeks to wipe away her tears. She shakes her head, but gives me a smile as she gets up and leaves.

My mom seems to notice and she catches my eye.

"Everything okay?" she mouths and I nod. At least I think everything's okay.

When Miley doesn't come back for a few minutes though, I begin to worry and decide to go after her.

I don't find her in the single bathroom, but the back exit is propped open and it's not too hard to figure out where she is. I poke my head outside and hear her talking. For a moment I wonder who she's with, but then I realize that she's on the phone.

"I know you always tell me to follow my heart, but I don't know," she says to whomever she's talking to, "Yes, I do. Of course I do… yes… I know… it's just hard… I know she would want me to be happy… okay, okay, I promise. I love you. Have a safe flight tomorrow, okay? Bye."

"Hey."

She jumps and grabs her chest, "oh, you scared me!"

"Sorry… you were just taking a while to come back so I wanted to check on you."

"Well, I'm fine," she says with an attempt at a smile. At least she's stopped crying.

I shake my head, "you're not. Was that Mamaw on the phone?"

"Yeah," she lets out a gust of breath, "Just you know, talking out some pre-wedding jitters."

Just the words make me nervous. She's not having doubts, is she? I mean nothing about tonight has implied that, but I can't help wondering.

"You can tell me," I coax, "You can tell me anything. If you want to push the date back or something, we can completely do that, not a problem."

"Oh, my God, no! It's nothing like that," she says quickly, "I feel like I've been waiting my whole life to be with you."

"You haven't even known me your whole life."

"No," she says with a smile, "But I always knew you were the kind of guy I'd want to be with."

I smile and pull her close to me, letting her head rest against my chest. She's shorter than me again, since she traded in the heels for flip-flops in the car.

"I just wish my mom was here," she mumbles into my chest, "To give me advice and that kind of thing. Tell me what it's supposed to feel like. Am I supposed to be nervous? Am I supposed to feel this sure? Should I be freaking out more? Less?"

My heart breaks for her. She lost her mom a long time before I knew her so the hole in her heart has mostly been healed, but I can't imagine ever recovering from losing a parent.

"I love you so much, Nick," she says, leaning up and placing a gently kiss on my neck, "Tomorrow is going to be the best day of my life."

"I assure you, it's going to be even better for me," I say rocking her back and forth gently. Once she's had time to calm down, we head back to the table where dessert is waiting. Not soon after my lovely parents pay the bill, does everyone get up to leave. It was good to have a nice, casual, relaxing dinner with family before the big day. Miley tells Lilly she'll see her soon and we get in my car to drive home.

"I can't believe this is the last time I'll be in here," Miley says back at the penthouse, standing in the bedroom and looking around. The only thing left in here is the bed and what seems like hundreds of cardboard boxes. Oh and our suitcases which are packed for our honeymoon.

"I know," I agree coming behind her and kissing the spot where her neck meets her shoulder.

"It's really nice of our family to move our stuff into the house while we're in Hawaii."

"Mmm," I mumble against her neck, sliding my lips up.

"You know, if I have a hickey tomorrow, I'm pulling a runaway bride."

I yank my face away from her and turn her around.

"Don't even joke about that."

"Relax, Nick," she says reaching for my shoulders and rubbing them gently, "I wouldn't miss tomorrow for anything."

"What about an earthquake?"

Now it's time for her to give me a "don't joke about that look".

"I should get going," she says with a sigh, looking at her suitcase forlornly.

I know that she does have to go, but that doesn't make me any happier about it. I wish we could spend the night before our wedding together, but I also understand why we're not.

"Walk me to my car?" she asks me, tilting her head cutely. I was planning on doing that anyway, but I agree.

I grab her suitcase and she grabs my hand, interlacing our fingers as we go to the elevator.

When we get down to the parking garage, Miley pops open her trunk and I put her suitcase in for her.

"So..." she says, leaning against her car door. I come up to her grinning and grab her by the waist, laying a hard kiss on her lips.

"Woah babe, a kiss like that might make me have to stay here and ravish you tonight."

"Oh, then my plan is working," I joke and then open the car door for her. She gets in and rolls down the window.

"I'll see you tomorrow," she says as she leans out the car window to give me another peck. We say our goodbyes and I watch as her car pulls out of the apartment complex.

It's not until she's completely out of my sight that it hits me that the next time I see her she'll we wearing a white dress and walking towards me down the aisle, ready to spend the rest of our lives together.

**Hopefully that wasn't too painfully boring to read. I'm probably going to stop this story after the honeymoon. My heart just isn't in it anymore (which you can probably tell) and when something's not fun anymore, it's time to stop. The truth is stories without drama just aren't fun to read or write and if a couple is still having loads of drama once they're married, it would seem a bit pointless to be married. Maybe I'll do an epilogue or maybe I'll leave it open for more chapters if I ever get back in the mood. We'll see. I also have more stories on the way that I've been working on. You'll be hearing about them soon hopefully.**

****

Also, if you haven't already, check out the NJK Awards **(njkawards .webs . com) and nominate your favorite stories.**

******AAANNDDD (sorry this is long, i mean you've probably stopped reading by now anyway, but...) I just wanted to thank you all for sticking with the story through the long wait for updates and the occasional crappy chapters. It's actually been a year since I posted this and only 21 chapters, which means less than two chapters a month. So sorry. This has become my least favorite story that I've written. And I'm not saying that so that you guys will tell me it's good, I'm just saying I don't think it's not AS GOOD as the others. So, THANK YOU. Thank you for reading this and enjoying it, that's all I ever want from you guys :)**


	22. Chapter 22

**Miley's POV**

"Oh, Miley," Denise gushes as the hairstylist pins the last of my curls into place on the back of my head, "I love it. It's beautiful."

I smile at my hair as the stylist holds a mirror up so I can see the back and finger one of the loose tendrils that are falling gently into my face.

"I love it, thank you so much," I tell the girl who looks pleased that I like it.

We're actually in Lilly's (and my old) apartment. We figured it'd be less of a commotion to have everyone come to us instead of going into a salon. I've already had my nails done by one of the nail technicians who came. Lilly and Dani are currently getting manicures while Demi, who just finished up her pedicure, is heading into the kitchen to get her hair washed before her blowout. I didn't even know that they made portable shampooing sinks, but apparently they do.

Everything is going smoothly and we're right on schedule. Lilly's hair is done, even Dani got a blowout even though she keeps on insisting she doesn't want to be in any pictures in her state. Denise did her own hair and since she got her nails done before at her salon in Texas, she's pretty much ready to go.

The makeup artist, Katie, works quickly, not going too thick on the makeup, but enough to make my skin look even and flawless. Luckily, she'll be coming to the venue with us so that she can take care of any touch-ups I might need. My dress is already waiting in my dressing room at the venue, as confirmed by Linda who had one of her assistants pick it up from the designer earlier today. Lilly and Demi's dresses are also there, while Dani and Denise brought theirs over to Lilly's when they came over this morning.

It's happening. It's really happening. After all the preparations, the anticipation, the stress, it's all coming together today. In five hours, I'll be walking down the aisle with my dad. A tingle of happiness runs through my body. I'm so ready. I can't wait. This is all that I've ever wanted for myself.

The primping and preening continues until we're all ready to go. The limo to take us there is already waiting outside. The salon girls pack up their stuff and Katie packs up her own car so she can follow us to do touch-ups later.

"Oooh champagne," Demi says as she climbs into the limo. There's a tag around the neck of the bottle and she reads it out loud, "Miley—I can't wait to see you, beautiful. Hope you're having fun with the girls. I'll be waiting for you at the end of the aisle. Love, Nick."

"Aww," Lilly coos, "That's so sweet."

"So who wants some?" Demi asks as the limo starts to pull out from the curb. Denise and Danielle (obviously) decline, but Lilly, Demi and I all take a glass. Nick would leave me a bottle of my favorite champagne in the limo. I love that even though I'm apart from him, he left me a little reminder that he's thinking of me.

We get to the venue and Demi confirms with Joe that they're not there yet so we can get out without Nick seeing me. It's a silly tradition, but I still like the idea of Nick waiting to see me until the wedding.

We're greeted by Linda who introduces us to her staff that will be aiding her in making sure the wedding runs smoothly and then takes us downstairs to our dressing room.

The room is spacious with it's own private bathroom. There's a three-way mirror with a slightly raised floor in front of it and the opposite wall has a large lighted mirror. Lilly and Demi's dresses are hanging up and mine is next to theirs, still in the large garment bag.

"The boys are almost here," Demi announces. There's just a little less than two hours until the ceremony is scheduled to start and I'm starting to feel anxious. What if everything doesn't go as planned? What if I trip and fall on my face in front of all those people?

"Relax," Lilly says, pulling out a chair so I can sit down. She takes one next to me and places her hands over my own, "Everything is going to go perfectly. The more you worry, the tenser you're going to be. You are Nick are getting married. Be happy!"

I smile at my best friend in the entire world. We've been through so much together and I'm happy that she's here for me now.

"I am happy," I assure her, "I just want it to be perfect."

"It will," she insists, "But not because everything goes smoothly, because you love Nick and he loves you and you're getting married."

My eyes are already glassy. This is going to be an emotional day. I knew that from the beginning, but I swear everything is threatening to set me off today. I almost cried when Denise brought us donuts this morning. I need to chill out.

"Thank you," I say and then give her a big hug.

"I want to see the dress on now that it's fitted!" Denise says excitedly. Obviously she didn't come out for every fitting that I had, so she hasn't really gotten the full effect of the dress yet. I glance at the clock. It's not like I have anything better to do and I'm excited to put it on too.

Lilly and Demi take the gorgeous dress out of the bag and undo the lacing at the back while I get undressed. It's kind of embarrassing to be in front of my soon to be mother-in-law in a thong, but it is what it is. Lilly helps me step into the full skirt and I slide my arms through the cap sleeves. Then Demi tightens the laces so that the back closes and the front is fitted.

Demi groans, "Please give me the name of your trainer."

"She's always been like this," Lilly says, "It's ridiculous. She has the best genes ever."

I look over at Denise and she's already dabbing at her eyes with a tissue.

"Oh, Miley, you're a vision," she says tearfully, "Nicholas is going to go crazy."

I turn around and look at myself in the mirror and even I gasp. The top of the dress pinches in to accommodate my waist and then flows out to fit my hips. But somehow it manages to make me look at least a size smaller than I really am. Then comes layers and layers of tulle, puffing out around me. It has a sweetheart neckline that shows off just the right amount of cleavage for a wedding and the color contrasts nicely with my lightly tanned skin. I love this dress. I love how it's simple and unlike anything that I would normally wear. That's what makes it special. I've worn a lot of fancy dresses in my life between different awards shows, but this one is different. It's perfect.

The thought of Nick seeing me in the perfect dress sends a shiver down my spine. I know that he's going to be impressed. I can't wait to see his face.

When I'm done admiring myself, I turn to Lilly and Demi and urge them to put their dresses on too.

Theirs are made of navy blue silk and are strapless. They hit just below the knee and have two medium sized bows on the front. They're actually really cute and Lilly and Demi both have bodies to pull them off beautifully. I mean, they're always gushing over my body, but seriously the two of them are perfect the way they are.

"Let me take pictures!" Denise exclaims once we're all dressed and we all pose. It feels kind of like prom actually. We even goof around and do some prom like poses.

"Dani, join us!" I demand of the girl who's just sitting their watching, "Please!"

She grudgingly agrees at Denise's wishes for her to join us too and she poses in her black maternity gown. I mean as far as maternity dresses go, I think Dani's looks pretty cute. Plus her face is gorgeous, no matter how much weight she gains that's not going to change.

We're still goofing off when there's a knock on the door. Denise opens it and in comes Joe in his tuxedo.

"Oh wow," he says when he sees us all dressed, "Miley, Nick is going to die."

"Well, I hope not," I joke while blushing slightly.

"Is there something you need, Joseph?" Denise asks her son.

"Oh, yeah… Nick wants to talk to you, mom. And Kevin is looking for you, Dani."

Denise and Dani both leave the room, leaving me, Joe, Lilly and Demi in the room.

"People are already starting to arrive," Joe tells us, "We had to dodge them as we came in."

"Wow," Lilly remarks, "It's still kind of early."

Joe shrugs, "I think a lot of it's family. Miley, you dad is here too, by the way. I saw him talking with my dad, but I think he was looking for you. If I see him I'll send him this way."

"Perfect. So, how's Nick?" I ask with a huge smile, hoping for details.

"Really excited," Joe admits, "Like bouncing off the walls excited. I think he's been dressed in his tux like since he woke up this morning."

I laugh at the idea, but I'm pleased. It's good to know that he's as excited as I am.

Joe glances at his watch, "Okay, I'm going to go see what everyone else is up to. Demi, want to come?"

It's obvious he just wants some time with her, but I don't care so I don't say anything as they leave. Really, it's more of a compliment to my excellent taste in bridesmaid's dresses if you ask me.

A few seconds later there's another knock on the door and Lilly gets it this time. She talks to whoever it is for a second and then excuses herself from the room, letting the person in.

It's my dad and he's also in a tuxedo with his hair neatly combed.

"Daddy!" I say I run into his arms like I used to when I was little.

"Oh, Miley," he says after we embrace, holding me at arms length, "You look beautiful, bud. So grown up. I can't believe this day is really here… I still remember the first time I held you in my arms."

He starts getting choked up and I do too.

"Dad, don't make me cry, it'll mess up my makeup," I joke, blinking away the tears.

"Right, right sorry," he said with a half-chuckle, "I have some things for you."

"Dad, you didn't have to—"

"Don't worry, I didn't buy anything," he explains, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a long white box.

I take it and open it, revealing a beautiful strand of pearls. I look up at him for an explanation and he takes out his wallet and pulls out a picture.

"Those are the pearls your mom wore on our wedding day," he explains, holding out the picture, which is a headshot of my mom from her wedding day. She looks so beautiful and happy with the same gleam in her eye that I'm sure I have now. And sure enough, she has a pearl necklace on.

"She looks beautiful," I say tracing the picture with my finger.

"You remind me of her in a lot of ways," Dad says, "You have the same spirit she did."

I don't think anyone could understand how much that means to me. I was still pretty young when she passed and as I get older, it's harder and harder to remember things about her. So to know that I'm like her feels special, like I have a part of her with me at all times.

"When she realized that she wasn't going to make it," Dad continues sorrowfully, "She wrote you this note and told me that it was for your wedding day and that I could only give it to you the day you decided to marry the love of your life. So here it is… I'll give you a moment to yourself."

I take the white envelope that he gave me. It's kind of small and a little worn out on the edges, but my mom's script on the front is unmistakable. "_To my daughter Miley" _it says. It feels like I'm holding something sacred. She held this in her hands before. She licked the envelope closed and wrote across the front.

My shaking hands turn it over and I carefully slide my nail under the flap and open it without ripping it. The note inside is on plain white paper and I unfold it and begin to read the words.

_Miley,_

_ It breaks my heart to know that I won't be with you on this special day. Or any of your special days for that matter. I remember marrying your father so well. Sure, the details are a bit of a blur, but I remember every emotion that I felt that whole day and I'm sure you're feeling some of the same ones. You might be nervous, and that's okay. It's a big commitment, but know that you're ready for it. You're probably excited too and time probably feels like it's going slowly. But soon you'll be married to the man you love and you won't even remember what it felt like to wait._

_ I hope that you know that I'm watching over you right now this very second. Even if I can't be with you in person, my thoughts are with you every second of every day. I love you so much, Miley. You're my little girl and you always will be. I'm so proud of you._

_Love, Mom._

The ink is splattered in spots where my mom must have been crying while writing it. I'm pretty sure I'm adding my own tearstains to it as they run down my face and drip off my chin.

"Knock, knock, can I come in?" I hear Lilly ask from the door as she barges in.

"What happen—"

"Help me get this dress off," I snap, reaching for the back of it, trying to find the right string to pull. I feel like I can't breathe. I need to go get some fresh air. And the dress feels like it's suffocating me. This is too much. I can't even wrap my mind around the fact that my mother wrote me this letter before she died. That she's probably watching me now, that maybe she knew this whole time that I would wind up with an amazing guy like Nick. It feels like my brain is flying a million miles per hour and I need to catch up with it.

"What? Are you okay?"

"Just help me," I hiss and she obeys, pulling the strings and loosening them so I can step out of the dress. Lilly goes to hang it back up, while I throw on my yoga pants and my plaid button down shirt.

"Miley, what are you doing?" I hear Lilly turn around and ask.

But I'm already out the door.

* * *

**The next chapter is ready to be posted once everyone's had time to read & review this one.**


	23. Chapter 23

**Nick's POV**

Mom is taking pictures of my brothers and I when there's a knock on the door.

Demi is closest to it so she gets it. Demi talks with whoever's at the door and then leaves the room to continue the conversation. I notice Joe eyeing the door and soon he excuses himself as well, ending my mom's photo shoot.

I'm feeling good. It's the day of my wedding. I'm excited and anxious for it to play out. I adjust my bowtie in the mirror and glance at my watch. Time is moving way too slowly for my liking.

"So, how did she look?" I ask my mom with a grin on my face. Miley hasn't given me any hints on what her dress looks like so it's going to be a complete surprise for me. I don't even have any ideas in my head. Her usual style is kind of sexy and daring, but I think she'll go more traditional for the wedding. I'm excited.

"Beautiful," she gushes, "Absolutely stunning."

"Is she nervous?"

Mom shakes her head, "Not really. She seems happy and excited."

"Good, good," I say as a wave of excitement runs through me.

"Mom?" Joe asks popping his head into the room, "Can you come here for a moment?"

I frown as my mom leaves the room. There's something about Joe's tone that makes me feel uneasy. Especially because Joe is normally such an easy-going guy. It takes a lot to bother him. He better not have done something stupid like forget the rings. I'll kill him.

What could they be doing out there? Maybe something's wrong with Miley. Maybe she's sick.

"Are you okay?" Dani asks me, looking up from where her and Kevin are chatting quietly, "You look kind of pale suddenly."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," I mutter and then head out the door to find out what's on.

"Whatever happens just don't tell—"

"Nick!" Demi says loudly when she sees me, her brown eyes going wide.

"Exactly, don't tell Nick," Joe, who has his back to me, continues.

"No," Demi says with an eye roll, "I meant, there's Nick. Nice one, Joe."

"Don't tell me what?" I ask suspiciously, "Joe, what did you do?"

"Why do you have to assume it was me?" Joe asks defensively throwing up his hands.

"I don't know," I say annoyed, "Maybe because you always fuck up!"

There's an awkward silence and I instantly regret saying that. Just because I was mad about him trying to stall didn't mean I had to be cruel. Staring at me like I'm a lunatic are Miley's dad, my mom, Lilly, Demi, and Joe.

"Nick!" my mom says sharply, "I realize that you're stressed, but I think that was really uncalled for."

"I know," I say, running my hand through my hair, "I'm sorry, Joe. You don't always mess up. I'm just anxious because you guys are all out here holding a little conference about something you don't want me to know on the day of my wedding."

Everyone exchanges a look. I thought that speech would make them feel guilty enough to tell me, but apparently they're still considering.

"I'm sorry, it's my fault," Billy Ray suddenly speaks up, "I shouldn't have left Miley alone, I should've known she would be upset…"

I just stare at him in confusion waiting for him to explain.

"Miley's gone," Lilly bursts out and everyone glares at her, "Sorry! I couldn't take the suspense."

"What?"

Suddenly everyone is silent as they exchange glances again.

"Feel free to explain, guys!" I say frantically, "If you don't explain, I'm going to expect the worst."

"I gave Miley a letter from her mom," Billy explains, "And I left her alone to read it… next thing I know she's running past me down the hall and out the door."

I'm numb. I actually don't even know what to feel. Should I be angry that she's gone? Or worried because she's upset? Or should _I_ be upset because my fiancé ran away on the day of our wedding?

"Did you try calling her?" I ask in a monotone voice, trying to stay calm outwardly even though I'm completely freaking out inside.

"She left her phone here," Lilly explains, "But don't worry, Nick. I promise you she's coming back. She wouldn't miss the wedding."

"I should've known," I mutter to myself. Seriously, she was clearly upset last night… I should have said something to someone so that they'd know she was in a fragile emotional state.

"Don't worry, Nick," my mom say soothingly wrapping an arm around me, "We're going to figure this out. Miley's brother is already out looking for her, she doesn't have a car so she couldn't have gone far."

"Let's just go back into your room," Demi says, putting her arm around the other side of me and guiding me back, "We'll just relax until she gets here."

Demi practically throws me into a chair while my mom quietly explains to Dani, Kevin, and my dad what's going on.

"Just relax, Nick, okay?" Demi says, standing in front of me so I can't get up, "We're going to find her and your wedding is going to go smoothly. This has nothing to do with you, it has to do with her mom."

"I'm relaxed, I'm fine, I'm totally cool, Miley will come back and we'll get married," I say with a smile.

Demi looks at me suspiciously and then turns to Kevin and Dani, "Don't let him leave."

Then Demi herself leaves the room. I don't know how long I've been sitting there. Somehow I've been managing to keep it together. She's coming back. She'll be back. And then the wedding will go on.

Maybe I should go look for her. That's what a good husband would do, right? Go after the girl he's in love with, I mean. I should be helping find her especially if she's upset, she's going to need someone.

"What are you doing?" Kevin asks me, interrupting my thoughts and I realize that I've stood up.

"I have to—"

"No, you don't," he interjects, getting in my way so I can't go anywhere and putting his hands on my shoulders to try and force me back down.

"But Miley's out there somewhere!" I protest, "I have to go find her."

"I'm sure she's fine," Dani says soothingly, "Besides what if you go out and we can't find you? Or if she comes back and you're not here?"

I sigh and fall back into the chair because I know she's right. I just need to relax and trust that she'll be back before the ceremony. I know she loves me. We're getting married today. She'll be here. I don't know how long I'm sitting there meditating as people fly in and out of the room, but soon there's a crisp professional knock on the door.

"Nick! Come on, it's time to get ready for the wedding to start."

"Miley's back?" I say standing up eagerly and opening the door to see Linda there, "Can I see her?"

"She's putting her dress back on and getting touched up," Demi, who's also outside the door, explains, "But she'll be ready in time to walk down the aisle."

My mom slips out of Miley's dressing room with Lilly, who's carrying two bouquets. She gives one to Demi.

"Don't look so somber, Nicholas, you're getting married," my mom attempts to joke, but I don't laugh, "She's fine. You'll see her in a few minutes. Let's go."

It seems I don't have a choice as I'm ushered upstairs by Linda with my mom, Joe, Demi, Lilly, and Kevin. The music starts to play and I escort my mom to her seat and take my place in front of the pastor.

The double door at the back of the room is opened again once the rest of the wedding party is at the altar, but Miley's not there. There's no way my family would let me walk all the way up here if she wasn't here, right? I try to keep my breathing even. I know that she's going to walk around the corner any moment.

… Or maybe not. What's taking so long? Oh God. She's not coming. I knew it. She's run away despite what they told me. A cold sweat drips down my back and my hands are shaking. This was obviously too good to be true. She left. She's gone. Great.

"Relax," Joe mumbles from behind me as the crowd begins to whisper. Oh, my God. I'll never live this down. I'll always be known as the guy who got left at—oh.

I can't breathe. I actually can't.

There she is and she literally has me breathless. I've heard, and used, the expression of being breath taken, but until this moment I didn't realize it could actually happen. This goddess in front of me walking down the aisle with her father has actually stolen my breath.

The top part of her dress is fitted, following her gorgeous curves to a tee before flowing out into a full skirt that brushes the floor as she walks, just like a princess. My princess and I'm her prince. Her face partially is hidden behind her pretty white veil, but she's still so beautiful I can hardly take it. The dress is simple and not overbearing, making her the center of attention. She makes the dress look amazing.

"Dude, you're crying already?" Joe whispers incredulously.

"No," I say, blinking back tears that I didn't even realize had formed. I seriously can't cry yet. I know that I'm going to, but I'd prefer Miley start crying first so I can maintain some of my pride.

It seems like forever that her and Billy Ray are walking down the aisle, but finally they reach the altar. Billy Ray lifts the veil off her face and they embrace and I see him whisper something in her ear. He takes his seat and then Miley turns and faces the altar, making eye contact with me for the first time and sending me through what can only be described as cardiac arrest.

Her lips curve up into a smile, showing all of her teeth. She gathers the front of her dress and delicately steps up the stairs until she's standing in front of me. Lilly bends down to adjust the skirt and the pastor begins the ceremony.

Even though I've been waiting for this moment, it goes by in a blur. My eyes don't leave Miley's the while ceremony, even as I place the beautiful white gold and diamond studded wedding band on her finger. The next thing I know, the pastor is telling me I can kiss the bride and Miley's leaning in towards me. Her dress makes it a little difficult to get close to her, but I manage to pull her in by her waist and place a strong kiss on her lips. I count backwards from three and then pull away.

Only then do I turn to the crowd and see everyone clapping and cheering. Flashes from the hired event photographers are coming from every angle, but I'm more distracted by the delicate fingers interlaced with mine. I look at Miley and grin just to see her with an identical one on her face.

The recessional music begins to play and I watch as Frankie, Kevin and Demi, and finally Lilly and Joe begin to leave. When it's our turn, we let go of each other's hands and link arms to head out of the room. One of Linda's helpers is waiting at the back for us, situating us at a place slightly down the hall so people can give us their good wishes as they head over to the reception.

"This feels like a meet and greet," Miley whispers with a giggle, between congrats from the Editor of People and Joey Fatone. I snicker and press a kiss against her forehead. She's right though. Each person or group gets just a few seconds with us before the people working our wedding shuffle the line along. It's just like the smile, pose, picture situation in a meet and greet. We have to get through as many people as possible before the concert, or in this case, the reception.

You'd think that dealing with all these people would be a downer, but honestly nothing could ruin my perfect mood. It hasn't completely hit me yet, but I'm so happy just to be with Miley.

Finally, we're done and we get a chance to go downstairs to "freshen up" before the reception begins. I peek into the first room I see and I'm happy to see that it's empty. I quickly pull a giggling Miley into the room.

I grab her waist and pull her close to me, kissing her hard on the mouth. Without even waiting for her consent, I part her lips with my tongue, giving her the wet hot kiss that I couldn't in front of everyone. Miley pushes back, eagerly and aggressively participating. Despite the layers of poufy fabric, I slide my hands down her waist to her perfect ass and give it a squeeze.

"Nick!" she gasps, pushing me away and slapping my shoulder. She's laughing though and I keep my hands low, pulling her close again,

"Stop," Miley giggles, moving my hands back to her waist.

"Well, if we're not going to mess around, can we talk about what happened earlier?" I ask.

She bites her lips and looks down, "it was nothing."

"I'd still like to hear about it though."

Miley reaches into her dress and pulls out a little folded piece of paper and hands it to me. I let go of her and open it, reading the handwritten note.

"Oh, Miley," I say, holding her close when I'm done. I can't even imagine how she felt reading it.

"I made it about two blocks before Jackson picked me up. We left flowers by mom's grave. It's only about ten minutes from here. I should've gone last night or some time this week to see her, talk to her. You weren't too worried, were you?"

"I was a little worried."

"Sorry," she murmurs against my neck, wrapping her arms around me.

"It's okay… I think I knew you'd come back, even though for a moment I thought I'd be the guy left at the altar. You're too nice to do that."

"And I love you too much to do that," she adds.

"And I love you too, Mrs. Jonas."

Something about hearing that seems to set her off, because next thing I know she's practically jumping on me, attacking my lips. Somehow she manages to get me backed up against the wall, but before I can decide my next move, I hear Linda calling our names.

"Miley! Nick! Where are you guys?"

"In here!" Miley calls, backing away from me and smirking. The door is thrown open and we're quickly ushered upstairs to the reception. Personally, I'd be happy with skipping the partying and just going straight to Hawaii for our honeymoon, but at least it's only four hours.

Joe and Lilly are just walking through the doors into the reception when we get up there. Perfect timing. We step into the doorway just as the DJ begins to talk.

"And may I now announce, for the first time as husband and wife…"

Miley grabs my hand and squeezes it tightly, grinning like crazy as the flashbulbs continuously go off.

"… Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas Jonas!"

* * *

**Ta-da. Hope you like it.**

**So any writers out there... I'm thinking about doing a contest/challenge thing. Still working out the details but basically I'll give some guidelines and you follow them, write a little oneshot, and then I'll read them and post them on my account. I don't know if they'll necessarily be a "winner"... I'll probably give each oneshot an extended review and give writing suggestions. Let me know what you think. Even if you're not a writer, would you be interested in reading them? Thanks! **


	24. Chapter 24

**Sorry I've waited so long to post this. I had such bad writer's block for this part. I don't like this chapter because I'm sure it's not as romantic/sexy as some of you wish it would be, but lately I've been lacking in inspiration for that area :/ But now that we're past this part, hopefully the rest of the story will be easier to write. Not many chapters left, I don't think.**

"That was perfect," Miley says, resting her head on my shoulder. She's now out of her wedding dress and in some bedazzled white sweat suit that Demi and Lilly got custom made for her. It says Mrs. Jonas on the front and 'Just Married' on the back. Personally, I think it's a little obnoxious, but I guess it's kind of cute in a girly way.

Miley's right. The wedding went perfectly. Joe gave his best man speech without being too embarrassing, no one got too drunk, the hardcore partiers left for other New Year's Eve plans before they could. The clock struck midnight while we were surrounded with family and then we left for the private plane that Joe and Demi paid for as a wedding gift for our honeymoon. The seats are huge and comfy, which is good since it's a pretty long flight to Hawaii.

"I agree. It went better than I even could have imagined. But more importantly, I'm glad it was perfect for you."

"It was," she murmurs, "It was like a fairytale."

"We'll be taking off shortly, so please put your seatbelts on and put your seats up," the pilot announces.

Miley sits up and does the buckle on her seat. Soon enough though the plane is up in the air and Miley and I can recline the seats back into beds.

"So…" I say raising my eyebrow.

"What?" she asks, "Why are you giving me that look?"

"Well now that we're married, we have to consummate it…"

She gives me a funny look and then her faces scrunches up in dislike.

"Ew, Nick. No. I do not want to consummate our marriage by joining the mile high club. Personally, I'm tired and would like to get some rest before we make it to our private island location."

With that she settles her head back on my shoulder and closes her eyes.

"Wait…" I say suddenly realizing what she said, "Does that mean if it wasn't our wedding night—"

"Goodnight, Nick!"

"Wake up!"

I grunt and don't open my eyes.

"Come on, Nick. We're already on the runway. You slept through the landing."

I groan again.

"Nick!" she basically whines and it's too much for my ears to take. I open my eyes and look out the window to see the dark runway lined with lights.

"Finally," she rolls her eyes. She looks all rumpled and cute. Her hair is up in a ponytail and her makeup from the wedding is now slightly smeared.

"Sorry," I say, leaning over to kiss her temple. The door to the airplane suddenly pops open and there's a man there who pops in his head.

"Mr. and Mrs. Jonas," he says with a smile, "I'm Michael, the travel agent based here in Hawaii. Are you ready to set foot on our beautiful island?"

Grinning, Miley grabs my hand and nods eagerly. As we walk off the plane, I can see a set of workers putting our luggage into a car that's parked on the runway.

Two women, dressed up in traditional hula outfits, put a flower lei around both Miley's neck and mine.

"Aloha," they say warmly, even though it's early in the morning and they must be exhausted. I feel kind of bad about the fact that they have to be up this early, but this was the best way for Miley and I to sneak off on our honeymoon.

"Now," the man who got us off the plane says, "Tom, our driver, will take us to the puddle jumper runway which will take us to your private island."

That's right. We have a private island for our honeymoon. That means no fans running into us, no paparazzi, no distractions, just Miley and I for a whole week.

The water landing is interesting and convincing Miley that it's okay to step out of the plane onto the boat that will take us to the island is even more interesting. But she does and soon we're on the shore of a beautiful island that is ours for a week.

"Now," Michael says as we step out of the boat and onto the dock, "There is staff on the island, but they are very discreet and have all signed confidentially statements. They leave at around nine every night and come in around six to start breakfast, but I assure you, you'll see very little of them. It will be like it's just the two of you. The house is fully stocked with food, so if you'd like a snack, feel free. If you need anything, my number is listed by all the phones, as well as any other important numbers that you'll need."

"Sounds good," I say with a nod. Then he hands over the key and soon Miley and I are on the way into our house.

Miley opens the door while I carry our suitcases into the foyer.

"Oh! It's beautiful," Miley sighs when she flicks on the light, "Even more amazing than the pictures."

Almost everything in the house is a crisp clean white and a sea breeze scents the whole places naturally.

We leave the bags by the stairs and take a quick survey of the living room and dinning room and kitchen before heading upstairs to the bedroom. Since this house is specifically designed for honeymooners, there's only one door at the top of the stairs.

The room is huge with a big bed in the center of the back wall and a small sitting area as well. The bathroom door is open on one side of the room and it's huge too. There's a bathtub for two in there, two sinks, and a huge shower. The other side of the room has a sliding glass door that leads to a terrace with a hot tub.

After we've had a moment to admire the room, I wrap an arm around Miley and pull her close, leaving a passionate kiss on her lips.

"Mmm," she hums when I pull away, her eyes still closed.

I'm about to go in for another deeper kiss when her eyes flutter open, distracting me.

"Let's check out the hot tub," she says, wiggling out of my arms and going out onto the balcony.

I'm surprised to say the least. I imagined us tearing off each other's clothes as soon as we got here. I mean, that's why we slept on the plane, right?

Perplexed, I follow her outside. She's sitting on the edge of the built-in hot tub, running her fingers across the water's surface.

"It's already heated," she says, turning to look at me with a glint in her eye, "Why don't we try it out?"

_We have all week to try it out_ I want to say, but instead I agree. A hot tub make out session doesn't sound awful, after all. I'd just really, really like to get to the main event.

Oh well, at least this means she'll have to shed some clothes.

"I have to wash my face," Miley says, going back in the room, "I'll meet you in there."

She gives me a little wink before heading into the bathroom. I swear she'll be the death of me.

I go over to my suitcase and rummage around for my swim trunks and quickly tug them on. Then I open Miley's suitcase and search for her bikini. She has about six. So unnecessary. So I pick out the skimpiest looking one and lay it out on the bed for her. Perfect. Now I look like a considerate husband AND I get to see her in a tiny bikini.

Following Miley's orders, I head back out to the hot tub and sink into the hot water. I turn the jets on and relax into one of the perfectly curved seats. This actually feels pretty nice after that long flight. Maybe this was a good idea after all. To help us unwind, I mean. Miley's still not out yet so I slouch down low so the water covers my shoulders and close my eyes to relax.

"Having fun?" Miley's voice interrupts my trance.

I open my eyes and sit up to see her standing on the deck in a short thin robe.

"I saw the bathing suit you picked out for me," she says in a low voice, "That was sweet of you, but I hope you don't mind if I decided not to wear it."

My jaw drops as Miley lets her robe slide off. Not only did she decide to not wear that bikini, but she decided not to wear _any_ bikini at all.

She giggles at my reaction and then walks up the steps to the Jacuzzi, giving me an up close full look at her body.

It's been a while since I've gotten more than just a glimpse of her. She's like a Greek goddess with her hair tied up, leaving nothing to obscure her perfect body. And I mean perfect. There's not a mark on her flawless skin or an inch of fat. She's all slender muscle and toned curves and perky breasts. Plus she's tan line free, leaving me to imagine how she got that way.

"Hi, Nick," she says once she's slipped into the water in front of me.

"Hello there, Mrs. Jonas."

"Mm, I like how that sounds," she all but moans. Damn, even her tone of voice is turning me on. I wonder what sex in a hot tub would be like...

Then I feel her fingers on my knees. I look down into the water and see her hands crawling up my legs. Thank God I put on a loose swim trunks because when she gets to the hem, her hands slide right up my bare skin.

"This house is so nice," she comments.

"Y-yeah," I stutter out as her fingers begin to knead my upper thighs. She's so close to where I want her and yet so far.

"We're so lucky to get to stay here for a whole week."

"Mmhmm," I agree, getting more and more turned on. I'm already half hard and she hasn't even touched me there yet. Not even a little brush against my balls. She definitely knows how to torture me. And normally I'd be ready to play along, but I want her so bad right now all I can do is sit here and let her have her way with me.

"You know, you can touch me, Nick," she says, batting her naturally long eyelashes at me.

I reach out and put my hands on her waist under the water, tracing her curves to her hips.

"I don't think that's where you want to touch me," she whispers, resting her forehead on mine. Her hands slide out of my pants and grasp my wrists gently, guiding them to her chest. Her _perfect_ chest.

"You're right," I growl and then tip my face up so that I can capture her lips into a fierce kiss. This time she allows me to part her lips and deepen it.

I don't know how long we stay in the hot tub, just making out. It seems like a long time, but when she pulls away, it feels like it's been just a few minutes.

"We should get out before we get all wrinkled," she says before lifting herself out of the water and wrapping herself in a towel. Completely ignoring me, she heads back into the bedroom.

I groan out loud. She is torturing me. And she knows it. I've stuck it out for the past month, what more does she want from me?

I hop out of the tub and return to the room to find it empty. However, the bathroom door is empty and I can hear the sink running. I dry off my torso and arms, then hang the towel over a chair. She's still in the bathroom. I guess I could change out of my swim trunks. I slide them and my wet boxers off, hanging them over the towel.

Even though (hopefully) I'm about to get naked, it seems a little sleazy to be waiting here naked for Miley so I put on a different pair of boxers.

Then I sit on the edge of the bed, looking out the glass door into the night. What's taking Miley so long? Is she hoping that I'll fall asleep and forget or something? Did I do something wrong? Or maybe she's just tired still. Or maybe she's nervous. I'm a little nervous too. Being together used to feel so natural, but now that we haven't been in a while, I'm starting to over think it. I mean, what if I can't remember the things she likes, or what if she doesn't like them anymore? What if things are different now because we're married? What if we start becoming a boring couple who barely has sex?

"You need to relax. I can tell you're tense even from behind you."

Miley's cool hands slide up my back to my shoulders. There's a warm tingling sensation where her hands have been though. Then I realize what it is. Oil. I look back at her and she's now wearing a little white nightie that barely skims her thighs. I don't really approve of the return of clothes, but I do approve of the way she's massaging my shoulders. It's somehow relaxing and sensual all at the same time.

"You have so many knots," she murmurs, bringing her lips to my neck, "You should get massages more often."

"You can give me one anytime you want, babe," I tease her, moving my head to the side to give her lips more access. Her hands suddenly leave me and there's the squirting sound of liquid leaving a bottle and her hands return. This time they slide over the tops of my shoulders and down my chest. Her palms press against my pecs, grazing my nipples, and I groan softly.

"You know, I don't really need anymore foreplay," I tell her, nodding between my legs. I am more than ready to go.

She laughs loudly. "Okay, I was going to try and make tonight special, but I see how it is."

I can tell she's joking by her tone though. I grin and turn around, pinning her under me before she even has a chance to react.

"This needs to come off," I mumble, fingering the bottom of her nightie.

"Then take it off."

I don't hesitate to obey her. Luckily for me she's not wearing anything underneath. Perfect. Once we get started, it's not long before I'm inside her and her moans are in my ear.

"Oh Nick," she sighs, "I missed this."

"Me too, Mi," I grunt, picking up the pace with my hips.

"I'm right there, Nick, come on," she urges me, speeding up her hips up to match my movement. The best part of being with her is the way she moves. She never just lays there, she's always giving me just as much as I'm giving her. Such a turn on.

"Oh, that's—that's perfect, don't stop," she cries out, wrapping her arms around my neck and holding on like her life depends on it. I can hear her heavy breath in my ear and that combined with her wrapped around is exactly what I need. I continue moving my hips until we're both completely satisfied, and then I roll off of her.

I close my eyes, stuck in post-orgasmic bliss when she starts giggling. I open one eye and look at her. Her hair is fanned out on the sheets and she's giggling uncontrollably, making her chest rise and fall.

"What?"

"I—don't—know," she says between giggles. I roll onto my side and face her.

I'm just so… happy," she explains and then laughs again, "I feel like I'm high. I love you so much and we're in Hawaii, on a private island, and we're married… and it's just, _perfect_."

"Believe me, I feel exactly the same."

"Really?"

I nod.

"I've known I wanted to marry you for a long time. And now we are. It's a dream come true."

She giggles again and then reaches down to pull up the sheet, which was downturned at the bottom of the bed.

"God, I forgot how hot you look after sex," she says reaching out to run a hand through my hair, "All rumpled up and completely content looking."

"I like how you look. All flushed and sexy."

I brush one of her now messy locks behind her ear.

"Nothing could make this more perfect," I tell her, "I love you and I'm going to love you forever."

* * *

**Just don't be too mean in your reviews.**

**... kidding. you guys are always wonderful even though I suck at posting and constantly go through writer's block and post chapters that I'm not satisfied with because I'm a quitter. Still amazes me how many reviews this has. We're about to pass 1000 and I think that's incredible. **

I'm still working on the outline for the ending of the story, which is coming soon so I just wanted to get some opinions on how you guys would like it to go. I was thinking a few chapters about married life, them settling down, etc and then maybe an epilogue? I've thought about including something about kids too, but I don't know. I don't want it to go on too long. Unfortunately this story is going into territory that I know next to nothing about so it's going to be a little rocky. Just wanted to get some ideas and thoughts from you guys since you're the ones who have to read it.

And if you read that long author's note, you're the best. A+ for you. A++ if you actually review with thoughts/ideas, but no pressure. Love you.


	25. Chapter 25

**Nick's POV**

My first day back at work has been rough. Not because I don't like my job, in fact the new artist that I'm working with- a young man named Jack- is really good and I enjoy my job, but there's a problem.

I miss Miley. After being attached at the hip (and more often than not, other places too) for the past week, even being away from her for a few hours seems devastating. On our honeymoon we didn't even shower separately and now it's been three hours and I'm itching to call her or, even better, see her. I can't get her face or her goofy little giggle out of my mind and it's driving me insane. But for now, I need to concentrate on work.

The cool thing about working with this new artist is that we're actually writing songs together. He's a fifteen year old who was discovered on the Internet by the record label and he has a lot of raw talent and instinct. He has a decent voice and has a pretty good grasp on the guitar even though he only taught himself about a year ago. Plus he's handsome for a 15 year old and I know the girls will just adore him. I remember being in that position so it's cool that I get to mentor someone who's heading in the same direction I was. Except this kid is doing it all alone, not with his two big brothers. Hopefully, he's happy to have me there though.

"Do you have to make a phone call or something?" Jack asks, suddenly stopping the chord progression that he was doing on his guitar. He looks at me with his striking green eyes and raises an eyebrow in an accusing way.

"Huh?" I ask confused, shaking thoughts of Miley out of my mind.

"You keep glancing over at your phone on the table over there. I thought maybe you were waiting for a call or a text."

"Oh, no," I shake my head, "Sorry… I'm just a little distracted."

"Nah, I get it," he says with the relaxed drawl of a teenager, "You have a hot wife waiting at home, this is the last place you want to be."

I shake my head at him and chuckle even though he pretty much just read me like a book.

"I don't know if I appreciate you calling my wife hot."

He grins mischievously, "Maybe you should introduce us so I could see for myself in person."

"Yeah, yeah, keep dreaming," I roll my eyes and punch his shoulder gently. Although actually I was planning on asking him and his parents to dinner when Miley and I get more settled. His dad seems a little wary of this whole thing, but maybe getting to know me will help. Plus it doesn't hurt to get close to the person you're going to be working with. And I bet Miley will get a kick out of this kid.

"What about you?" I ask, "You got a girlfriend?"

Jack's shakes his head, dark hair swinging back and forth, "Nah. We broke up before I moved out to LA."

Jack is originally from the Chicago area, but he moved here a few weeks ago. I met him once or twice before this session, and I watched his videos online, but I don't know much about his life. But maybe this is what we need to get a good song out of him. Sometimes it's better to think of the idea first, then write the music around the lyrics.

"Yeah?" I ask casually. I remember myself at 15. If I actually sound interested, he won't want to tell me, but if I act like I don't care that much, he'll spill.

"Yeah. We dated for a little over a year. She said she 'didn't want to get hurt' so she broke up with me. Or some crap like that. I don't even know. I don't understand girls."

"Not many guys do," I chuckle.

"I guess you do since you're married."

"I understand Miley, but that's about it. And sometimes I can't even understand her. But don't tell her that."

Jack laughs at that.

"So this girl, was she special?"

After a moment of silence he nods, "yeah, she was. I know we were young but… I wasn't ready to let her go."

"Want to hear my advice?" Jack nodded again. "Let's write a song about it."

A grin sneaks on his face and I can't help but let one cross mine too. I know that we've stumbled upon some great material and I can't wait to get started.

I'm already grinning before I even get to the entrance of our new house. It's kind of strange owning my own home. I mean, I've had the penthouse for a few years now, but it felt more like a huge hotel room than an actual grown-up house. In a way it makes me feel a lot older, but then again so does being married.

The house is everything Miley and I wanted and then some. It's a three story Spanish inspired exterior complete with a tiled roof. It's extremely luxurious but the interior designer did a great job of making it feel homey and warm as well. The bottom floor has a huge state of the art kitchen with a bar area for four people which is attached to a large, more formal dinning room. It'll be perfect for entertaining as will the two living spaces, one casual and one formal, that also occupy the downstairs.

The middle floor contains the master bedroom and I swear it's about the size of the entire penthouse, which was by no means small. We each have our own closet and bathroom space, which I know Miley really enjoys. There's also an office type space which has been set up as a music room and a smaller bedroom that attaches to ours that will one day be a nursery.

Upstairs are four more bedrooms and three bathrooms, now set up as guest rooms, but that will one day house our children. There's also a small in-home movie theater.

Personally, my favorite part is the backyard though. Maybe it's because in the penthouse I didn't have a backyard, but I know it's where I'm going to be spending the majority of our time. It's built up with these concrete walls that match the house so that there's privacy for our pool, with built in hot tub, and patio with an outdoor kitchen and eating space. And, of course, we have the whole beach to spend time on as well. It's absolutely perfect.

Perfect home. Perfect wife. Perfect job. Perfect _life_. I couldn't be happier.

I turn the car into the dunes and put in the code that opens our gate. Luckily the dunes make a nice natural barrier although there are trespassing signs every few feet as well.

I pull around the circular driveway that has a fountain in the middle and park right outside the front door. We have a garage on the side of the house, but I'm too excited to get inside to park there.

"I'm home!" I call loudly when I get into the main entrance.

"I'll be right down!" Miley calls back and I smile.

I picture this moment in a few years. I get home and instantly three kids are running to greet me with eager looks on their faces while their little voices cheer "Daddy's home!". I'll pick up a little girl with my curls and Miley's blue eyes and give my two boys hugs. And then down the stairs will come Miley with a bulging belly, but still looking beautiful in her pregnancy. I sigh. Yeah, I can picture it. And I want it. Badly. I've always wanted to be a family man and now I'm getting that chance.

"Hey, babe! I missed you today."

I look up and see Miley descending the stairs. She's wearing a pair of girly boxers with a blue bra. Over it she has an unzipped bright yellow sweatshirt.

"Did you just wake up?" I ask her as she hops off the last step.

She shakes her head, "no, I just wanted to be comfy today. Plus I was doing some work so it was kind of hot."

"Well, I approve," I let her know and then bring my hands under her sweatshirt to land on her bare lower back.

"I thought you would," she says bringing her hands to my belt, "I missed you when you were gone."

"You have no idea how much I missed you."

"It's so hard not being around you all the time and get to kiss you and touch you and-"

"Stop," I groan, grabbing her wrists and pulling them away from me.

"Are you hungry?" she asks after laughing at me.

I shrug.

"I'm starving. I forgot to eat lunch and then I thought I'd wait for you. What are you in the mood for?"

"What do we have?"

"Not much," she says going into the kitchen and looking through the cabinets, "Kraft mac and cheese. Pasta; but no sauce. Pancake mix. Eggs. Milk. Salad. Some Chinese leftovers from last night."

She closes the fridge then looks at me with a frown, "I'm sorry, baby. I should have gone shopping today, but I didn't realize..."

"Hey, it's fine," I tell her before she gets worked up, "We should eat the Chinese before it goes bad anyway. It's not a big deal."

"But today was your first day back to work in a while and I should have-"

I put a finger up to her lips, "Shush. I love Chinese. It's perfect."

A little while later, we're eating the reheated food right out of the container while sitting on the couch. It was my idea to sit in here and I can tell it's making Miley nervous by the way she's watching me like a hawk as I feed myself.

"You better not spill, Nick," Miley warns, "I will kill you if you mess up the new couches. It took the designer and I weeks to find the perfect ones."

"Relax, I'm not going to... Crap!"

"Nick!" she shrieks and sits up glaring at me.

I laugh at the expression on her face, "I'm just kidding. Now be a good girl and bring those noodles over here."

"How about you be a good boy and not give me a heart attack like that?"

"Come 'ere," I tell her again and pat the spot next to me. Reluctantly she comes over and shares the food with me. I tuck her under my arm, feeling so content to just be here in this moment with her.

"I love you," I say, just because I can. She smiles and gives me a kiss before letting me know she feels the same. If this is the way the rest of my life is going to pan out, I'm completely satisfied. Well, I'd like to add kids to the mix, but for now, I'm happy.

"So what do you want to do now?" I ask her after we clean up our dinner mess.

Miley yawns and stretches. She zippered up her sweatshirt halfway before but the movement makes her chest thrust out in an appealing way.

"I'm kind of tired. Let's go upstairs."

"How could you be tired? I bet you slept all day," I tease her as she heads up the stairs.

"Actually, I organized our closets. As much as I appreciate our family moving our stuff in for us, I needed to organize it my own way."

"Did you organize my stuff from—"

"Casual to formal? Yup. I even organized your ties by color."

It's so cute seeing her take on a domestic role like that. When I go into my closet and look around, everything is perfect. Well, actually I might have put the undershirts next to the dress shirts instead of in the "casual" section, but whatever. I can fix that later when she's not around. No need to upset her.

I take off my clothes and throw them in the laundry basket, leaving just my boxers on. It's a little chilly in the house so I throw on a t-shirt as well.

When I come back into the bedroom, Miley's already under the covers. I slide in next to her and turn on the TV to the news, lowering the volume so it's background noise.

"So how was the studio today?" Miley asks, cuddling up under my arm.

"Good. I think Jack has a lot of good song writing material to work with even though he's young. We've already got most of a song finished and a bunch of interesting chord progressions. Plus I talked to Kevin about maybe getting him back in the studio with me to work on some new personal stuff."

"Oh yeah, I heard he was finished mixing Jesse's record."

I stiffen at the mention of that guy. "Where'd you hear that?"

"Well, actually…" she starts in a tone that makes me want to sit up and brace myself for bad news, "I got a call today from my manager. I'm going to go have a meeting with her tomorrow, but the main thing she wants to talk about is releasing 'We'll Be A Dream' as a single, since the band finished their album and it's set to release in a month."

Okay, that's not bad. It's a good song, especially since Miley's on it. Not that I'm biased or anything. She's seriously that talented.

"… And they're wondering if I'd be interested in doing the music video."

She bites her lip and looks at me with wide eyes as if begging me not to be mad at her. I don't know why though. It's not like it's her fault they want her to be in the video. She agreed to do the song before Jesse went after her.

"So what it's not like you—"

"I kind of want to do it!" Miley blurts out and then gives me that look again.

"_Why?_"

I blurt it out before I even have time to really process what Miley said. And judging by the look on her face she's not really impressed with my response. But I honestly don't see why she would want to do it. Jesse clearly has no regard for her feelings and I doubt he would have any problem trying to convince her to stray again. Not that I think she would, but why would she want to put herself in that situation?

"Well, I just think it would be strange if I didn't do it. I don't want to make it seem like I have a problem with them."

"But we do have a problem with them."

"Jesse made a mistake in thinking I was still interested in him, but now that I'm married he—"

"Still has a huge crush on you? Wants to use this as an attempt to get with you again?"

Her casual attitude is seriously annoying me. Maybe it's the way that it's like she's not even considering the possibilities of what could go wrong. Sometimes it's like she lives in this fantasy world where everyone is good and kind and perfect.

"Please, Nick. Be mature."

Something about that sets me off even more.

"I need to be mature?," I say harshly, "You need to be mature and realize that Jesse tried to stop our marriage. I'm not comfortable with you spending time with him."

"Well, maybe you should realize that I married you! Not him. He's not a _monster_, Nick. He had a longtime crush on me. I'm sure he sees now that it's not going to happen. You can't have it out for everyone in the world who might be attracted to me. They deserve a good single with a nice video and no drama about whether I like them or not."

I go to open my mouth, but Miley shakes her head to silence me.

"Honestly, I don't even want to talk to you anymore right now. I'm going to go practice piano in the music room."

She throws the covers off and is out of the room before I can even react. I slide my leg off the bed to follow her, but then decide against it. She obviously wants time to relax. I know better than anyone that the piano is a great way to settle your mind. Sure, this is the first fight of our marriage, but it had to happen eventually. We couldn't stay on the honeymoon for forever. But at least it wasn't a huge fight. She'll just go play some chords and then realize what a mistake it would be to do this with Jesse. I mean, it would be like leading him on, which would be completely wrong. Then she'll come back and we can make up.

But while I wait for her, I might as well make myself look busy. I grab the remote again and change it the Sports Center, so I can see the highlights of the day.

I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I know I feel Miley's hands on my back and the TV and lights are out in our room.

"Nick," Miley murmurs softly. I grunt in my sleepy haze. "I just wanted to let you know that I understand your concern, but you can't try to make decisions for me just because we're married now."

"No," she says when I try to turn over to talk, "You're tired. I'm tired. Let's go to sleep, we'll talk again in the morning."

I don't want to end it like this. With us going to sleep without completely solving the issue, but my eyes are already closing again as she kisses my jaw gently. By the time she's on her side of the bed, I'm already out.

* * *

**Hope this isn't too awful. Adding some more drama back in there because we all know stories are boring without it. Still not 100% sure on how I'm going to end it, so if you have any suggestions, keep them coming.**

**Anyway... 1000+ reviews! You guys are so fabulous and I adore you. You never cease to amaze me. I can't believe that I have two stories with 1000+ reviews. I know that's not a lot for some people, but for Niley stories on this site, it really is and it just makes me feel so happy and like I'm doing something that means something to people and that's just amazing to me. **

**Not to get all sentimental, but I still remember reading my first reviews on my first story (which is so embarrassing now haha that whole story has less reviews than some of the chapters of this one) and I was soo happy and excited and I literally still get like that when I get reviews. I know I've been sucking at updating lately, but you guys still have faith in me and interest in my stores and I love that.**


	26. Chapter 26

**RECAP (since it's been forever): **Nick is back at work writing with other artists. Miley has been staying at home since the honeymoon. Miley and Nick had a fight about Miley possibly doing a music video with Jessie.

**Miley's POV**

I let out a sigh of happiness when I finally make it home after my meeting with my manager. It was productive, but nevertheless exhausting. Especially since I haven't really had to wake up early at all in the past few weeks.

"Babe, I'm home," I call softly. I feel bad that I didn't let Nick fix things last night and that I left this morning while he was in the shower. But he needs to realize that doing the music video is my decision, not his. Sure, I'm willing to listen to his opinions, but ultimately it's my choice.

And it's not like I want to do the video to be _with_ Jesse. And it's not like I know he still has feelings for me. Maybe after I told him off and after I got married he realized it was just an unfulfilled crush from my Hannah days.

Besides it would be bad manners to do the song and not do the video. That will just lead to more questions about why I'm not doing it and would result in someone making up a stupid rumor. And if they happen to get it right then the media will try to play it up and make it seem like Nick and I are having problems and I just don't want to have to deal with that mess. Can't he see it's just easier for me to spend like two days doing this video?

"In the TV room," he calls back so I make my way to him. The first thing I see is the TV, which is playing Sports Center. The same one he was watching last night. Which I only know because I had to shut off the TV after he left it on. He also has a half-finished beer in his hand and his feet up on the table.

"Relaxing?" I ask with a raised eyebrow. He looks at me and takes his feet off the table. Much better. "Can we talk?"

He nods eagerly and turns off the television. He pats the spot next to him on the couch, but I opt for the other end so I can concentrate on what I want to say instead of the soft looking flannel that he's wearing.

"I don't like the way you treated me last night," I say without preamble, "As if I was some stupid girl making a bad choice. I thought about it, Nick, and refusing to do the video will only look more suspicious and lead to drama with other people involved too. I also don't like the way you tried to make me feel guilty or act like it was your choice. Just because we're married doesn't mean I can't make my own decisions. Maybe that's what you thought it meant, but it's not."

"No, Miley," he says with a pained expression, "That's not what I want. I like that you're strong enough to make your own decisions. I just want you to really think about what you're doing."

"I'm doing a music video."

He sighs, "yes, but how do you think Jesse's going to take it? He's going to think you're going back to him."

I groan in frustration. "But, Nick, I'm not. It doesn't matter what he thinks because that's not what's happening. Trust me."

"I do, but I don't trust him not to guilt you into some one on one time and then-"

I'd laugh at his little soap opera plot if he weren't so serious about it happening.

"I'm not going to let that happen. Before I didn't realize he was still harboring feelings for me, but now I do. It's not like him and I are going to spend alone time together. There's still the rest of the band plus the entire crew that's going to be on hand. You know how music video shoots are. They go fast. Jesse and I probably won't even have time for polite conversation. And if it makes you feel better, I'm only agreeing to do the video if there's no kind of implied romance for me. It's literally written into my contract."

"That does make me feel better," Nick admits, "And for the record, I know you would never do anything to hurt me with Jesse. I just... it's hard because you're so beautiful and have such a good heart. I know I can't be the only one who sees how amazing you are."

"It's okay to get jealous. I'm sure there will be times that I get jealous too," I assure him, "As long as we can talk about it and don't let it affect our professional lives."

I move over on the couch so that our thighs are touching.

"Now promise me you won't freak out at me again," I say kissing his neck softly.

"I won't," he murmurs sliding his hands to my waist.

"And promise me you'll let me make my own decisions," I continue, sucking gently on the spot I just kissed.

"I will."

I slide my tongue over the spot, "now tell me you love me."

"I love you," he groans, sliding his arms around my waist and pulling me into his lap.

"I love you too," I reply before grabbing his face and crashing our lips together. I love the make up after a fight. It's like the slate is clean and the past is in the past and we can move forward into love.

"Mmm, Mi," he says, letting his hands run down my sides to cup my ass, "are you trying to seduce me?"

"What's a make up without make up sex?" I smirk, and press my lower half against his.

"So glad we're on the same page," he murmurs before yanking my shirt over my head. In the same minute, he has my bra off and tossed somewhere in the room. I follow his lead and tug his shirt off too.

"You're so hard," I whisper, dragging my hand down his chest until it's wrapped around him through his pants.

"Take them off."

I move off of him slightly to unbutton and unzipper his jeans and then pull them and his boxers off in one go.

"Yours too," he demands, tugging on the waistband of my own pants. Just to tease him, I unbutton them slowly and then pull down the zipper tooth by tooth.

"Fuck this," he growls and then flips us over so he's on top. I swear my bottoms are off before I can even hit the couch.

"C'mon, Nick," I urge him, spreading my legs slightly, "Give it to me."

That's just what he needs to hear before he's pressing into me. He goes in slow, but after the initial thrust, he's anything but.

"You're mine," he says in an intense, but somehow soft way. I reach for his hands which are on either side of my head and intertwine our fingers.

"And you're mine," I whisper back even though technically we're in our own secluded house and can be as loud as we want. Some moments are just meant to be kept quiet.

He nods and brings his lips close to my ear, "I'm yours."

"Miley, wake up."

"No," I murmur, reaching out to try and push away whoever is trying to pull me out of sleep, "I'm tired"

"We missed lunch, aren't you hungry?"

I'm about to protest, but just then my stomach betrays me and lets out a loud growl.

Nick bursts into laughter. Real, genuine, so-hard-it-hurts laughter. I open an eye so that I can see him. He's so cute when he's being carefree like this.

"We can have a late lunch/early dinner," he insists, "We can order from that sushi place you like…"

"Fine," I grumble. Even though I'm tired after our totally hot make up sex, I'm also hungry and wouldn't mind getting something to eat.

"Okay, I'll go order us the usual. You relax. I'll be right back."

Nick leaves the room and I sit up and stretch. As much as I appreciate naps, they can be a little disconcerting when you wake up in the middle of the day.

I rub my eyes and then head for the bathroom to clean myself up. After slipping on some comfy clothes, I open up my bedside table and take out my birth control pills. I usually try to take them in the morning with breakfast, but I was in a rush so I forgot this morning.

"What are you doing?"

Startled, I drop the little pill onto the floor.

"Nick!" I cry, bending over to pick it up, "You scared me. I forgot to take my birth control this morning so I'm taking it now."

I swallow the little pill with the bottle of water next to the bed.

"But we're married now. Why are you still taking it?" Nick asks me, looking confused. I shake my head. Boys can be so stupid sometimes.

"Newsflash: just because we're married doesn't mean I can't get pregnant. I'm sure you got this talk before. You should learn to pay better attention," I tease him.

"I know that," he says defensively, "I just thought now that we were married we would be trying to…"

"Have kids?" my mouth drops open in shock. I literally had no idea that Nick wanted to be trying to have kids already. "Are you serious?"

Now Nick looks offended. I know I should backtrack but I'm seriously so thrown off by him right now that I don't even know what to say.

"I thought you wanted to have kids!"

"I do… someday. But not _now_. Maybe in a few years, once we've settled down."

"How much more settled down could we be?" Nick asks me. I can tell he's getting frustrated just by looking at him. "We're married. We just built this big house with multiple bedrooms for children. What more do you want?"

I cross my arms, feeling annoyed with him. I thought we just discussed making decisions and how he wasn't supposed to push me into things.

"Do you even know what it would be like to have a baby Nick? Are you going to leave me here alone and pregnant while you're in the studio late at night? What if you want to tour? You just gonna leave me here with a newborn baby to take care of by myself?"

"You know I wouldn't do that. I could take time off. I could ask for fewer late hours. I could put off a new album for a few years. I'd do that for you and for our baby."

"But why should you, Nick?" I ask, exasperated, "I'm young. You're young. Women are able to have healthy babies later and later in life. Why should we give up our youth and freedom now when we have so much time together?"

"I've always wanted to be a young dad. The kind that could throw a ball around and still keep up with their kid. I don't want to be old and out of touch."

"I'm not saying we have to wait forever. I think at least definitely a year. You know that everyone has been telling us the first year of marriage is the hardest. I don't think a baby would make that any easier."

"I don't know," Nick says dubiously, "I've just always had this idea in my head that you get married and then start having kids. My parents did it and they turned out fine."

I smile at his old-fashioned thinking. It's kind of sweet, actually. Even though I don't agree with it.

"I know they did. But, it's my body and I want to wait a little, okay?"

"Okay," Nick agrees, but I can still tell he's a little disappointed. He's going to have to deal with it though.

"Besides," I say with a grin, "I was talking to my manager today about my future and I thinking about going back to work."

Nick's eyes light up.

"Really? I was just thinking today about how there's this new producer who I think you would—"

"Not in music, Nick."

"What? Are you going to try acting? I know a lot of singers try that but—"

"Nick!" I interrupt him again, "You know that my degree is in broadcast journalism. I was kind of hoping to put that to good use."

"You don't want to sing anymore?"

"You know I love writing and singing, but I love reporting too. There's a new segment they want to do on the morning news. It's supposed to be about connecting adults with teenage trends to help them understand their kids better. My manager knows I have a degree and she mentioned it to me. I want to do it, Nick. I have to at least try."

I look at Nick nervously, hoping that he'll approve. My singing career as Miley wasn't awful, but at the same time, it didn't feel quite right. I love writing and singing, but performing feels more like Hannah's job than mine. I can continue to make music on my own time even while I'm doing a new job.

Nick moves closer to me and wraps his arms around me. I relax into his touch and bring my arms around his neck.

"I just want you to be happy," he says, kissing my cheek, "And I want you to be able to do what you need to do to be happy."

"Thank you for understanding," I tell him. It's times like these when I realize how good of a team we really are. We're not boring. We have fights, we disagree, we don't always see eye-to-eye. But somehow we always manage to make it right or at least make it work out.

**surprise~  
****I would have liked for it to be a little longer, but at the same time I wanted to end it with this moment. I know I haven't updated in forever and it's obvious that I've pretty much lost interest in this story completely, but I'm gonna really try and push to finish it while I'm on vacation this week. **

**I know I don't really deserve them, but a few reviews for motivation wouldn't hurt :) thank you!**

**... WOAH. I was about to upload this when I realized that it's been over two years since I posted the first chapter of this story. YIKES. **


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